The Lessons of Life
by Kamari the Mighty
Summary: Sequel to TTOHS. Bridgette and her friends begin the next chapter of their lives, but new challenges await and old enemies return, forcing them to learn some hard lessons about who to trust. WARNING: Contains sceans depicting acts of graphic violence.
1. Prologue: The Last Days of Summer

It was the end of summer vacation and Bridgette Wells was sitting on the front porch of her parents' house drumming her fingers on the steps in irritated impatience. She was waiting for her boyfriend, Geoff Martin, to arrive and was beginning to get annoyed by his tardiness. They had been planning this get together for more than a week and Bridgette was certain Geoff wouldn't forget about it. After all it would be the last time they would see each other for a while as Bridgette was heading off to college in two days and Geoff was staying here to work. But if Geoff hadn't forgotten, then where the hell was he?

Bridgette was about to call him when Geoff's truck pulled up in front of the house. Geoff grinned as he climbed out of the truck and made his way up to the porch, his grin faltering when he saw the look of annoyance on Bridgette's face.

"Hey babe, ready to go?" he asked, not quite meeting her glare.

"You're late." Bridgette said, obviously trying to keep her voice level.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Geoff said. "I'm sorry I'm late, but I had to get something and it took longer than expected."

Bridgette gave him a skeptical look. "You had to get something, huh?" she asked, her voice thick with sarcasm. "And what would this 'something' be, pray tell?"

"It's a surprise." Geoff said, his grin returning, more devious this time.

"C'mon Geoff, don't play games with me, what did you get?" Bridgette asked, her eyes boring into his.

"Nope, it's a surprise." Geoff said, still grinning. "And if you don't come to dinner with me right now, you'll never know what it is, so let's go."

Bridgette sighed and then shrugged. "Alright, let's go." she said, her tone still disgruntled.

Geoff grinned and lead her to his truck. They climbed inside and Geoff pulled away from the curb, the truck lurching as though it was trying to stall. Geoff muttered something under his breath and the truck finally sputtered to life. They drove in silence for several minutes before Geoff spoke again. "I really am sorry about being so late." he said.

Bridgette glanced at him and smiled. "Yeah, I know. And I'm sorry about being so annoyed with you about it." she said.

Geoff just smiled and pulled the truck into the parking lot of the fancy Italian restaurant they were having dinner at. They climbed out of the truck and made their way inside, where they were seated near the back of the restaurant. A short time later, after they had eaten, Geoff pulled a small, rectangular box from his pocket.

"Here's your surprise." he said, handing the box over to Bridgette who took it with a small amount of hesitation.

She opened the box and felt her breath catch in her chest. Contained within was a beautiful silver necklace adorned with brilliant blue crystals. It was the single most beautiful thing she had ever seen and she didn't know quite how to react.

"Geoff it...it's beautiful." she whispered, after a moment of stunned silence.

"So you like it then?" Geoff asked, a note of relief in his voice.

"I love it." Bridgette said. "But you didn't have to get me a gift. I already know how you feel about me."

"Yeah, well I thought you should have something to remember me by while you're away at college." Geoff said. "Also, this necklace is a promise, a promise that one day I will give you more than just jewelry and my love. One day I will give you everything."

He smiled and Bridgette smiled back. She didn't know what else to say. How could she ever thank him for this? But she already knew the answer. Geoff didn't need a gift as thanks, he already had everything he wanted. He had her and Bridgette knew that for him that was enough. And as they left the restaurant to continue their evening Bridgette knew that these last days of summer would be perfect.


	2. Going Away to College

Two days later Bridgette found herself in the back seat of her father's car as she, her parents, and Geoff made their way to the college she was attending. The college was called Columbia State University and was located in the town of Fort Columbus, which was about an hour from the city where Bridgette lived. She still had a week until classes actually started but Bridgette wanted to get there early to give herself a chance to get acclimated. Her parents had wanted to wait a few more days before heading out, but Bridgette had been adamant about getting there as soon as possible. Geoff had come along to help transport all of the things Bridgette was bringing with her, which was most of what she owned. She had chosen to bring so much stuff mostly out of necessity as she would not be staying in the dorms. She had found a house and would be renting it for the duration of her stay at CSU, along with Nikki, Gwen, and Izzy, who would be arriving sometime in the next week. Under normal circumstances freshmen were required to live in the dorms for their first year, but Bridgette had gotten around this requirement, thanks to the Three Kings who were friends with the president of the university.

As the car pulled up in front of the house, Bridgette felt a wave of panic wash over her. She had never lived on her own before and was nervous about being away from her parents. She took a deep breath to steady herself and climbed out of the car, smiling at Geoff as he pulled up in his truck which was stacked high with her furniture. He smiled back, his smile extra brilliant as she was wearing the necklace he had given her two days earlier.

"Well, we're here." Bridgette said, glancing at the house. It was a two story, Victorian style house that had been used as a rental for college students for a number of years now. When Bridgette had first found it there had still been two people living in it, but they had moved out a short time later, opening up the whole house for Bridgette and her friends.

"You were right honey, it is a very nice looking house." Bridgette's mother said, drawing Bridgette's attention away from the house. This was the first time Mrs. Wells was seeing the house, as she had not come with Bridgette and Mr. Wells when they had come to inspect the house over a month ago. "I think it'll be a good fit for you and your friends."

"Thanks mom." Bridgette said, with a smile. "I don't know what it is, but this house just speaks to me somehow."

"Have Nikki, Gwen, and Izzy seen it yet?" Geoff asked, glancing at Bridgette.

"Yeah, they came up here with my dad and I when we came up to inspect it." Bridgette answered, glancing at the house again. "Well we should probably start unpacking."

Geoff and her parents nodded and they moved back to the vehicles. For the next two hours they hauled Bridgette's stuff into the house, making sure to leave room for the stuff Nikki, Gwen, and Izzy were sure to bring. Once they were finished moving Bridgette's stuff they headed across town to visit the CSU campus.

Ten minutes later they arrived at the campus where they were greeted by a young woman with short brown hair and brilliant green eyes. The woman was wearing a shirt emblazoned with the CSU logo and she smiled at them as they approached.

"Hello." the woman said, looking directly at Bridgette as she spoke. "Are you Bridgette Wells?"

"Uh-yes." Bridgette answered, her tone uncertain. "Who are you?"

"I am Cecily Jones and I have been assigned to give you a tour of the campus." She smiled again and motioned for Bridgette to follow her.

"I don't remember signing up for a tour." Bridgette said, glancing at her parents who both gave her guilty smiles.

"You didn't, but we did." her father said. "We thought it would be good for you to get the lay of the land before classes started."

"I could have done that on my own, but since we're here we might as well go on this tour." Bridgette said, with a sigh.

"Excellent." said Cecily, with another smile. It was obvious she was eager to show them around and had been hoping they would say yes to the tour.

"You seem to have been anticipating us for awhile." Bridgette said, with a glance at Cecily.

"Yeah, this is my first year doing this, showing new students around I mean, and I don't want to mess up." Cecily said. "Anyway, let's get going, shall we?"

Bridgette nodded and she, her parents, and Geoff followed Cecily towards the nearest building, a towering four story monstrosity made of brick and steel. There was a fountain in front of the building and metalwork in the shape of water arched over the doors.

"This is Cascade Hall, the student union building." Cecily said, gesturing at the building. "It's the second oldest building on campus, though it has undergone major renovations in recent years."

"It's certainly a nice looking building." Mr. Wells said, with a grin.

"Yeah, it's a great place to study too." said Cecily. "The cafeteria is in there as well, along with the bookstore, the housing department and the multicultural center which is an area set aside specifically for international students, though everyone is welcome to use it."

She lead them around Cascade Hall and pointed at the group of buildings to the left, "Those buildings over there are the dorms, Miller Hall, Garton Hall, and Phillips Hall, but we won't need to visit them as I understand you're living off campus, right?"

"That's correct." Bridgette confirmed. So that's where Owen, Wyatt, LeShawna, and Marlowe would be staying. Bridgette wondered if any of them were there yet. She hadn't heard from any of them in a few days and was beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with them. She quickly let the thought go and turned her attention back to Cecily, who had moved on to the large building next to the dorm buildings.

"That building there is Walton Ellis Court, the gym where our basketball, volleyball, and other indoor sports teams play." Cecily said. "It also houses the CSU athletic department and the weight room, which you can access at any time with your student ID."

"I've heard really good things about the weight room." Bridgette said, with a smile.

"Yeah, it's really nice." Cecily said. "Do you work out often?"

"As often as I can." Bridgette replied, with another smile.

"I hit the gym at least three times a week." Cecily said. "Maybe we could work out together some time."

Bridgette nodded and Cecily smiled, apparently content with Bridgette's response. "Okay, so, we're about halfway done with the tour, any questions so far?" Cecily asked.

"I think we're good for now." Bridgette said, with a glance at her parents and Geoff, who all nodded.

"Okay, let's move on then." said Cecily. She lead them across the campus through a large square that contained benches and tables and two large sculptures, one of some abstract design and the other of a woman dancing. Along one side of the square stood a large building with a domed roof and a massive staircase leading up to the front doors.

"This is the J.S. Smith Memorial Building, CSU's library." Cecily said. "It's one of the newest buildings on campus and officially replaced the old library about three years ago."

"That's one massive library." Geoff said, with a glance at Bridgette.

"Yeah, but it's still small compared to some of the other libraries I've visited." said Cecily.

It was then that Bridgette realized that the library was directly opposite of the student union. Next to the library was another large building, this one with a slopping roof that started at a high point and gradually slopped down to the point where it was maybe six feet above the ground.

"That building is Elliot Hall, and houses the theater department, as well as the student resources lab, and the Dalton Memorial Gallery." said Cecily. She lead them past the library and the the theater building towards the last group of buildings which were clustered around another, smaller square.

Cecily gestured at the first of these buildings and said, "This is Coleman Hall, the business building, where I spend much of my time."

"You're a business major?" Bridgette asked, glancing at Cecily.

"Actually I'm majoring in finance, but it's part of the same department." said Cecily. She smiled again and gestured at the next building. "This is Evergreen Hall, the science building. It's also where the majority of the nursing classes are held. The building across the way is Latterman Hall, the administrative building where you'll go to get registered and all that."

She paused to allow Bridgette to process this information and then spoke again. "And finally we have MacArthur Hall, where you'll be spending much of your time as it is the home of the history, anthropology, sociology, psychology and philosophy departments."

Bridgette smiled and examined the exterior of the building, trying to commit it to memory. She had chosen sociology as her major and wanted to make sure she knew exactly where to go for class, as she hated being late.

"Alright, well that concludes the tour." said Cecily, with another smile. "Any questions?"

"Yeah, I have one." Bridgette said. Cecily nodded and Bridgette continued. "I was wondering where the English department is?"

"It's in Elliot Hall." Cecily said. "Sorry I forgot to mention that earlier."

"That's okay." Bridgette said, with a reassuring smile.

"Any other questions?" Cecily asked, glancing around the group.

"Nope, I think that's it." Bridgette said, also glancing at her parents and Geoff.

"Alright." Cecily said with a smile. "I hope you enjoyed the tour and don't forget you have registration on Friday at noon."

Bridgette nodded and she, her parents, and Geoff departed heading back to the house. After eating dinner Bridgette's parents left for the hotel, as they were staying overnight, and Bridgette and Geoff set about organizing her stuff. An hour later they collapsed onto the couch, worn out from the days work. Bridgette smiled at Geoff and kissed him. "Well, I'm glad that's over." she said. "The moving, I mean. Now all there is to do is to make out with you and wait for Nikki, Gwen and Izzy to show up."

"Or you could help us move our stuff in." said a familiar voice from the doorway. Bridgette and Geoff broke apart and turned to find Bridgette's three roommates, Nikki Wong, Gwen Carver, and Izzy Sharpe standing in the doorway, all three of them grinning.

**A/N: Okay, so first authors note for this fic (which appeares here because I forgot to included it in the first chapter, as usual). I'll start with the usual note about how I don't own the characters and all that. Next, just so we're clear, CSU is a fictional university and Fort Columbus is a fictional town. CSU is loosely based on Eastern Oregon University, which I attended for two years. A number of CSU's buildings house the same departments as EOU's do (for example both student union buildings house the bookstores). Finally I want to warn you that there will be a significant amount of character death in this fic, more than there has been any of my other fics. This story will also be substantially darker than its predecessor. I give you this warning now so you are aware that there is a chance characters you like will die (I won't mention specifically who I'm gonna kill off so as to preserve the surprise). You have been warned, so I would appreciate not having to here complaints about which characters I kill off, even if their only scene is their death. Thank you and enjoy. **


	3. Roommates

"What are you guys doing here?" Bridgette asked, with a curious glance at her soon to be roommates. "I thought you weren't coming up until mid-week?"

"We were gonna wait, but we knew you were coming up this weekend and we decided to surprise you." Nikki answered. "It looks like the surprise worked."

"Well yeah, Geoff and I were...never mind." Bridgette said, with an embarrassed glance at her boyfriend.

"Oh we know what you and Geoff were doing, trust me." Nikki said, with another grin.

Bridgette glared at her and muttered something about annoying friends before she forced herself to smile. She could not deny that it was nice to see the girls again. They hadn't hung out much in the last week and Bridgette had missed them. She had always enjoyed hanging out with Nikki, Gwen, and Izzy, ever since she had first met them, in part because despite how close she was with Geoff there were some things she just felt more comfortable discussing with the girls. So, despite her annoyance she was glad they were there.

"Did you guys come alone?" Geoff asked, his voice bringing Bridgette out of her thoughts.

"No, Trent and Owen are outside." Gwen answered, glancing at Bridgette as though she knew what Bridgette was thinking.

"And Jonesy was supposed to come help as well, but he said he was busy when I called him." Nikki said, her tone dark. Bridgette understood why as it was common knowledge that Nikki and Jonesy's relationship wasn't the best. They had broken up the previous summer and then gotten back together in time for prom last year, only to break up again a month after graduation. Jonesy had been avoiding Nikki ever since and most of the others thought their relationship was done for good this time, though Bridgette still held out hope that they would get back together.

"Well, let's get your stuff inside." Bridgette said, her voice still containing a trace of annoyance.

The others nodded and they headed outside where Trent and Owen were waiting beside a large moving van. Bridgette couldn't help being impressed, it had taken two vehicles to move all of Bridgette's stuff and yet her roommates had managed to get all of their stuff into one truck. Then again, it was a large rental truck, so Bridgette couldn't be too impressed.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" Trent asked, nodding at Bridgette and Geoff as they approached.

"Oh, you know, pretty good." Geoff answered, shaking Trent's hand as he spoke.

"Well as good as things can go when one is embarking on the next leg of life's journey." Bridgette muttered.

"Do I detect a hint of hesitation?" Izzy asked, with a glance at Bridgette.

"Maybe a little." Bridgette answered. "I mean it is a big change, but don't worry about me, I'll be alright."

Her friends exchanged a look of concern, but Bridgette ignored them. The truth was she wasn't really scared about starting college, she was more concerned about being away from home for so long. She didn't know why she felt this way, she just knew that she did. There was a fear in her that she just couldn't quite shake and it had been there since the attack. Bridgette supposed it wasn't surprising that she was a little hesitant to be on her own, being raped and nearly murdered can have that effect on people. But Bridgette was determined not to let that fear control her and she pushed it aside now, not wanting her friends to worry about her.

"Anyway, let's get this stuff inside." Geoff said, covering for Bridgette before anyone else could ask any questions.

The others nodded in agreement and Owen moved to open the truck. The sight that greeted them was more than Bridgette expected. It seemed her roommates had brought just as much stuff as she had, they had just done a better job of cramming it all into one vehicle. Regardless it was going to take them awhile to get all of that stuff into the house, even with seven of them moving it.

"Fuck, you guys brought a lot of stuff." Geoff muttered, glancing from the truck to the girls and back to the truck.

"Yeah and how much stuff did Bridgette bring?" Owen asked, with a glance at Geoff.

"About the same amount actually." Bridgette answered. "And it may seem like a lot to you, but that's cuz you're guys."

Nikki, Gwen, and Izzy burst out laughing at Bridgette's comment, while Trent, Geoff, and Owen gave her dark looks. Bridgette ignored them and moved to help the girls start unloading the truck, satisfied knowing she had gotten under boy's skin. After a moment the guys moved to help as well and they slowly began to haul Nikki, Gwen, and Izzy's stuff into the house. Finally, some two hours later they finished, and everyone headed to bed.

* * *

><p>The next morning, after having breakfast with her parents, Bridgette and her roommates bid farewell to the Wells, Trent, Geoff and Owen, though they would be seeing Owen again in about a week as he was also attending CSU. With their boyfriends and parents gone the girls returned to the house and set about organizing the place, which was in a state of barely controlled chaos after the previous day's move in.<p>

It was a large house that technically had five bedrooms, though two of them had once been closets and were slightly smaller than the other three. Izzy had agreed to take one of the smaller rooms as she had less stuff than the other three. This agreement had been reached more than a month earlier and Izzy was still willing to honor it. This was good as Bridgette, Nikki, and Gwen had all brought more stuff than they had originally intended to.

The girls spent much of the day organizing the house, moving their personal belongings into their bedrooms and setting up furniture in the living room, dining room, bathroom and kitchen. The fifth bedroom would be used for storage and guests. Bridgette took the bedroom at the front of the house, directly above the living room. It was the second largest bedroom in the house and had plenty of space for all the stuff she had brought, including her bed, dresser and one of the two recliners she owned, which had once been her parents.

By that evening the girls were all too tired to cook so Bridgette ordered a pizza and they sat around eating and talking, catching up on the things that they had done over the summer. Of particular interest was how Bridgette's relationship with Geoff was going, as the others had noticed the necklace she had gotten from him and were curious to know why he had given it to her.

"Honestly I have no idea why he gave it to me." she said, though that was not entirely true and the others could tell.

"Bullshit." Nikki said, with a grin. "You know why he gave you the necklace, you just don't want to tell us, which is fine. Though you should know that we'll find out why eventually, whether you tell us or not."

"Fine, I'll tell you." Bridgette muttered. "He said it was a promise, a promise that one day he would give me more than just jewelry and his love. Someday he'll give me everything, is what he said anyway."

"And what, you don't believe him?" Izzy asked. "Is that why you told us you didn't know why he'd given it to you?"

"No, I told you that cuz I didn't want you to get all emotional about it." Bridgette said. "Also, I'm kind of embarrassed that he gave it to me. I mean, I already know he loves me, so I don't need him to give me stuff to prove himself."

"Well, maybe he doesn't know that." Gwen said. "After all you did, you know...and he may be afraid that if he doesn't shower you with love and gifts you may do that again. Which I think is an underestimation of your loyalty on his part, if that's the reason he's trying to prove himself to you. Or maybe he knows you love him and he loves you and he just wants to do something nice for you."

Bridgette mulled Gwen's words over for a moment. Both explanations were plausible, though the second one seemed more likely. Either way it didn't change the fact that she didn't really want to talk about the necklace anymore so she moved to change the subject.

"So yesterday, before you guys got here, my parents and I got a tour of campus with this girl named Cecily." she said, hoping the others would let the previous conversation drop.

"Huh, that's interesting." Nikki muttered, though it was obvious that she was less than interested. "Did she show you where your classes are?"

"Yes and we can head over to campus tomorrow so I can show you." Bridgette answered.

"That sounds good to me." said Izzy. "But right now I just want to take a shower and go to sleep. I am so fucking tired."

"Yeah, that's not a bad idea Iz." said Gwen, barely containing a yawn as she spoke.

Bridgette and Nikki nodded in agreement and the four of them went their separate ways for the night. It had been an intense first day in their new lives but they had made it through. Now all that was left was the future, a future they all looked forward to with much anticipation.

**A/N: And that's chapter 2. I know not much happened, but I promise things are going to start getting interesting next chapter, which I'll have up in a couple days.**


	4. The Professor

For the remainder of the week Bridgette and her roommates spent much of their time exploring the CSU campus and the town of Fort Columbus. Owen returned on Thursday, bringing Wyatt, Marlowe, and LeShawna with him. The four of them would be staying in the dorms as they had been unable to convince the Kings to bend the rules for them as well. At least they would be roommates with each other, Owen and Wyatt, and LeShawna and Marlowe. And they were always welcome to crash at the house Bridgette and her roommates were renting. On Friday Bridgette and her friends made their way to Latterman Hall for registration and orientation. There were at least a hundred incoming freshmen gathered for orientation, not counting Bridgette and her friends.

"Wow, there's a lot of people here." Izzy said, surprise obvious in her tone.

"Well CSU is one of the largest universities in the area." Nikki said. "So it makes sense, when you think about it."

"Yeah, but Izzy does have a point." said Bridgette. "I mean, we all knew CSU was a big university, but I didn't expect the incoming freshman class to be so big."

"They're not actually all freshmen, you know." a voice said behind them. Bridgette and her friends turned to find Cecily smiling at them, that same open, friendly smile she had given Bridgette the first time they had met.

"Hey Cecily, how are you?" Bridgette asked, returning Cecily's smile.

"I'm good." Cecily answered. "How are you Bridgette?"

"I'm fine, a little nervous maybe, but otherwise I'm good." Bridgette answered, with a glance at Nikki and Gwen. "By the way Cecily, these are my friends Nikki Wong, Gwen Carver, Izzy Sharpe, Owen Gregorski, Wyatt Williams, LeShawna Carter, and Marlowe Welling." She paused and turned to her friends before continuing. "And this is Cecily Jones, who gave me my first campus tour."

The others each shook Cecily's hand and extended greetings of their own before Cecily turned the conversation back to them. "So you guys all went to the same high school?" she asked.

"Yep, Hayward High, home of the Hawks." said Owen, his voice full of pride.

"Cool." said Cecily. "It's nice to see friends attending the same college. Anyway, I gotta go so I'll talk to you all later." She smiled again and left, heading over to where a group of CSU students were gathered. It was obvious that these students were helping with orientation and Bridgette wondered if they were part of CSU's student government.

"Well, she seems nice." LeShawna said, drawing Bridgette out of her thoughts. "Cecily, I mean. I hope we get her as our guide for this thing."

"What makes you think we'll get a guide?" Wyatt asked, with a quick glance at LeShawna.

"Because that's how these orientation things usually work, from what I understand." LeShawna replied. "And given that there are a bunch of people wearing CSU shirts gathered over there by the building I'm thinking my assumption is correct."

No sooner had LeShawna finished speaking when a woman in her early forties stepped forward and began speaking. "Hello, welcome to Columbia State University." she said, her voice echoing in the suddenly silent courtyard. "My name is Lynn Taft and I am the head of the registrar's office here at CSU. On behalf of the entire CSU staff I would like to formally welcome you to orientation and personally thank you for choosing CSU to continue your education. Now, we have many fun activities planned for this weekend, but before we get started we're going to divide you up into groups to more easily facilitate your orientation. Each group will be lead by one of our student ambassadors and when you hear your name please make your way over to your ambassador."

Twenty minutes later Bridgette and her friends found themselves gathered beside a large oak tree with Cecily. All eight of them had been assigned to Cecily's group, much to LeShawna's delight. Bridgette had to admit that she was glad they had all gotten Cecily as well, though she was a little surprised as she had expected the groups to be formed alphabetically. Still, she wasn't going to complain, as the thought that she got to go through orientation with people she already knew calmed her nerves a great deal.

"Okay, so, we have a lot of things to cover so let's get started." said Cecily, smiling at the group gathered before her. "I think we'll start with the tour, which will be redundant for Bridgette, for which I am sorry."

Bridgette just smiled and nodded. She appreciated Cecily's apology, though it wasn't necessary. Cecily was just doing her job and truthfully Bridgette wanted another tour, just to be extra certain she knew where everything on campus was.

For the next several hours Cecily lead her group through a series of team building exercises, often working with other groups. The activities of orientation would continue throughout the weekend and by the time Monday rolled around Bridgette was confident that she and her friends were prepared for the beginning of their college education.

* * *

><p>Bridgette awoke on Monday to find that her nervous anticipation had been replaced by a growing confidence that she had not felt for quite some time. She rolled out of bed and dressed quickly before making her way to the kitchen where Nikki, Gwen, and Izzy were already gathered. Bridgette smiled at her roommates as she prepared her breakfast and took a seat at the table opposite Nikki, who was also smiling.<p>

"Well, here we go." Nikki said. "Our first day as college students. With any luck we'll make it through without fucking up too much."

"Oh come on Nikki, don't be so pessimistic." Izzy said, rolling her eyes. "It's just college, how bad can it really be? I mean, okay it's different, but it could be a lot worse, right?"

"Izzy's right." Bridgette said, nodding in agreement. "But the only way we'll know for sure is to experience it, so let's get going."

"Why?" Gwen asked. "None of us have class until ten, so why are you in such a hurry to get there?"

"Because I'd like to try and meet my professors before class." Bridgette answered, rising from her seat as she spoke. She waited for her roommates to comment, but none of them did. Bridgette shrugged and moved to place her dishes in the sink before heading back up to her room to retrieve her backpack. She returned a moment later to find the others waiting for her and after checking to make sure she had everything she lead the way out the door.

Ten minutes later they arrived on campus where they were greeted by Owen and LeShawna, who both looked tired and stressed. Bridgette smiled at them and LeShawna smiled back. Owen simply nodded and moved to stand next to Izzy.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" Bridgette asked, with another smile.

"Pretty good." LeShawna answered. "Just waiting for our first class."

"Where are Wyatt and Marlowe?" Izzy asked, glancing around the group.

"They're in class." Owen answered. "Some music class that Wyatt wouldn't shut up about all weekend."

"Well he is a music major." Nikki said, with a shrug.

"Yeah, I know." Owen said. "But that doesn't mean he has to remind me every hour."

"Okay baby that's enough negativity." said Izzy. "Stop sulking and be happy that you're here. Not everyone makes it to college you know."

Owen nodded and forced a smile which made Bridgette think of Geoff and the fact that he wasn't there. She quickly pushed the thought aside and began walking towards MacArthur Hall, where her first class was. The others followed her, even though they were not all sociology majors. Nikki, Gwen and Izzy were taking the same sociology class that Bridgette was, though none of them were majoring in the subject. Nikki was majoring in anthropology, Gwen in art, and Izzy in biology, but they had all been intrigued when Bridgette had told them about the introduction to sociology class she had signed up for. Owen was majoring in biology as well and LeShawna was majoring in business, and neither of them were taking the intro to sociology class with Bridgette, but they came with her anyway.

A few minutes later Bridgette and her friends entered MacArthur Hall for the first time. Bridgette made her way over to a large sign that bore the names of the professors who worked in the various departments housed in the building. After a moment of searching Bridgette found the name she was looking for, noting the number listed next to the name which was the number of the professor's office. She smiled and made her way over to the elevator, the others still following her.

A moment later they had arrived on the fourth floor of MacArthur Hall, where all the sociology department was located. Bridgette entered the main office of the department and scanned the room, finding the office she was looking for after only a few seconds. She made her way over to the office, which was closed. The name-plate on the door bore the name _Dr. William McLellen _who was obviously not there.

"Damn, he's not here." Bridgette muttered, turning away from the door.

"Who is Dr. McLellen anyway?" Owen asked, his tone confused.

"He's the professor who teaches the intro to sociology class Nikki, Gwen, Izzy, and I are taking." Bridgette answered. "He's also my advisor. But he's not here so let's go." She turned and walked out of the office, checking her phone for the time as she did. They still had half an hour until class and Bridgette decided to wait in MacArthur Hall rather than leave and have to rush back twenty minutes later. Owen and LeShwana decided they didn't want to wait and both of them left a few minutes later, after saying goodbye to Bridgette and the others.

A half hour later Bridgette and her roommates entered MacArthur Hall room 202 for their first class as college students. Moments later a tall man with a short well trimmed beard and shaggy reddish hair entered. He was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, with a suit coat worn over the T-shirt and he was carrying a briefcase which he set down on the table at the front of the room. For a moment he simply surveyed the room in silent contemplation and then he spoke in a deep, gravely voice which commanded the attention of the room.

"Welcome to sociology 101, introduction to sociology." he said. "My name is Dr. William McLellen and it will be my pleasure to teach you about the fascinating subject of sociology. Let us begin with roll, shall we?"

For the next several minutes Dr. McLellen read off the names of the students in the class, making Bridgette feel like she was back in high school. When Dr. McLellen reached Bridgette's name he paused and glanced at her with a mixture of curiosity and pity, making her flush as the entire class turned to look at her. After a moment Dr. McLellen returned his gaze to the roll sheet and the class returned their attention to him, though Bridgette felt that familiar feeling of unease in the pit of her stomach, the first time she had felt it since the trial. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, forcing herself to focus on the class.

Once Dr. McLellen was finished taking roll he moved to introduce the young man seated next to him whom Bridgette had not noticed until that moment. "This is Shane Shoals, my student assistant." Dr. McLellen said, gesturing at the young man who smiled and waved. "If you have any questions or need any help and are unable to reach me, Mr. Shoals will be happy to assist you. Now let us begin to unravel the mystery of sociology."

For the next hour and a half Bridgette and her roommates copied down notes as Dr. McLellen lectured them on the basic concepts of sociology. Bridgette did her best to concentrate on the lecture despite the feeling of unease in the pit of her stomach which had only grown stronger when Dr. McLellen had introduced Shane to the class. Something about the way Shane had smiled had made Bridgette flinch, though she had no explanation as to why. Finally Dr. McLellen switched off the overhead projector he had been using to present his notes, concluding his lecturing by saying, "That will be all for today thank you. I'll see you all again on Wednesday."

Bridgette breathed a sigh of relief and quickly packed her things but before she could make it out of the room Dr. McLellen called out to her. "Miss Wells could I have a word with you please?" he asked, making her flinch again. She nodded and he approached her, waiting until everyone other than Nikki, Gwen, Izzy, and Shane had left.

"What would you like to talk about?" Bridgette asked, hoping her voice was calm.

"I just wanted to apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable earlier and say that if there is anything I can do for you I will." Dr. McLellen said.

Bridgette blinked, taken aback by his words. "What do you mean you'll do anything for me?" she asked. "Why would you say something like that?"

"I know who you are Miss Wells and I know what you've been through." Dr. McLellen said, with a slight smile.

"As do I." said Shane. "That's why I'm here, by the way."

"What do you mean you know what I've been through?" Bridgette asked.

"We know that you were raped and nearly killed by a pervert named Chris McLean." said Shane, with a smile.

"How do you know about that?" Bridgette asked, with a quick glance at her roommates who all looked as confused as she felt.

"The Kings told us." Dr. McLellen answered. "That is how we know."

"Why would the Three Kings tell you about what happened to Bridgette?" Gwen asked. "I mean, McLean is in prison so she doesn't need protection, does she?"

"There is a possibility that McLean had, shall we say, associates who may want revenge on Bridgette and the rest of you for your roles in getting him convicted." Dr. McLellen said. "Now this information has not been confirmed, but the Kings felt that it would be best to have someone watching out for you just in case."

"But why you?" Bridgette asked, still unsure if she trusted her professor and his assistant.

"Because I have history with the Kings and they can trust me." Dr. McLellen answered. "I am sorry this information had to be broken to you like this, but it was the only way. Please do not tell your other friends about this and try not to worry about it, okay?"

Bridgette nodded, though she wanted to scream at the two men in front of her and tell them they were full of shit. But she kept her mouth shut and left the room without another word, her roommates following her in silence. None of them spoke as they made their way over to the student union building, but Bridgette's mind was racing, trying to make sense of everything she had just learned. The Kings thought she was still in danger and they had not told her, but why? She knew there was a reason and she knew just who to ask, but she would have to wait until the weekend to do it.

**A/N: See, I told you things would start to get interesting this chapter. All I can say now is this, there is a reason the Kings trust Dr. McLellen and there is a reason they're worried about Bridgette, but what those reasons are, I can't say now. Don't worry though, everything will be revealed in time.**


	5. A Weekend Visit

Bridgette spent the rest of the week trying to figure out why the the Three Kings still thought she was in danger. It was not exactly the kind of information she had wanted to receive on her first day of college, but there wasn't much she could do about that now. Dr. McLellen had told her and now all she could do was figure out why, or rather why this information had been kept a secret from her in the first place. This fact was troubling as it wasn't like the Kings to keep secrets especially from Bridgette, not after everything that had happened last year. But there had to be a reason and Bridgette was determined to find out what that reason was.

Perhaps the reason for the King's secrecy had something to do with Dr. McLellen and Shane Shoals. It seemed odd that they had been the ones to reveal the truth to Bridgette when it was the Kings who were keeping the secret. Then again, Dr. McLellen had said the Kings could trust him and they still had their jobs at Hayward High keeping them occupied. Perhaps that was why they had told Dr. McLellen and had him tell Bridgette. But that still didn't explain why Shane had been told, though as the week wore on Bridgette found she cared about this fact less and less. There was something about Shane that made her feel at ease in the midst of this chaotic situation, despite the initial unease she had felt upon first meeting him. Shane's ability to calm Bridgette's nerves with a simple glance was eerily similar to the effect Duncan had had on her when they had first met. This was not comforting, but Bridgette told herself she would not go down that path again. She would not cheat on Geoff with anyone ever again, no matter what kind of effect they had on her.

Thinking about this brought Bridgette's mind back to Duncan. She had yet to call him, even though she knew he was her best chance of getting answers, and her roommates had not pressed her to do it. Bridgette had barely seen Duncan over the summer and had spoken to him even less. It had become obvious to her that it would take a long time for things to be right between them again, assuming that actually happened. Duncan still maintained that he was fine with Bridgette being with Geoff again, but there was obviously some part of him that wanted her for himself. And it was that part of him Bridgette hoped to tap into to get the answers to her questions. All she had to do now was muster the confidence to call him and ask him to come up for a visit, which was proving to be much more difficult than she had anticipated. So difficult in fact, that by the time the weekend arrived she still hadn't called him and she was beginning to wonder if it was she who was avoiding him.

* * *

><p>Bridgette awoke on Saturday determined to finally call Duncan, but an hour later she still hadn't done it and her roommates had finally had enough of her unwillingness.<p>

"Oh for fuck's sake Bridgette, just fucking call him already." Nikki snapped, giving Bridgette a disgruntled look from across the table.

Bridgette reached for her phone and paused, a wave of panic and nausea washing over her. She shrugged it off and forced herself to look at her roommates who all wore looks of concern. Those same looks of concern they had worn so often last year, which had irritated Bridgette so much.

"Why are you so hesitant to call him?" Gwen asked, with a look of curiosity. "I mean, you know Duncan, he'll help you if you just ask him."

"It's not that simple though." Bridgette said, a note of pleading in her voice.

"Why?" Nikki asked. "Why isn't it that simple? Is it because you had sex with him behind Geoff's back? Or is it because you broke his heart and can't bear facing him now? Cuz both of those reasons aren't good enough. You've already apologized for what you did and he's already forgiven you, so what's the real issue here Bridgette?"

"The real issue is I haven't seen or spoken to Duncan in over a month and I have no real idea of how bad I may have hurt him, cuz he won't tell me." Bridgette said. "And stop fucking reminding me about the mistakes I made last year, okay?"

"Okay, I'm sorry." Nikki said. "I didn't mean to bring that up again, I was just trying to figure out why you won't call Duncan, which you just told us, so I'm done. I won't ask any more questions, okay?"

Bridgette nodded and picked up her phone again. However, just as she began to cycle through her contacts for Duncan's number the door bell rang and Izzy disappeared from the room, returning a moment later with a grin on her face.

"Bridgette, there's someone at the door for you." Izzy said, suppressing a giggle.

"Who is it?" Bridgette asked, with a skeptical glance at Nikki and Gwen.

"Go and see." Izzy answered, gesturing towards the front door.

Bridgette sighed, got to her feet, and gave Izzy one last disgruntled look before moving towards the front door. The sight that greeted her in the entryway was one she had not expected as there, framed in the open doorway was the very man she wanted to see, her former lover Duncan Reynolds, looking just as punk as ever.

"Hey Blondy, been awhile." Duncan said, with a wicked grin.

Bridgette simply stared at him too shocked by his sudden appearance to even chastise him for using the nickname she hated. For a moment they simply stood in silence and then Bridgette became aware of the fact that they were being watched. She turned and glared at her roommates who returned her glare with three grins. Bridgette rolled her eyes and turned back to Duncan, who was watching her with a curious expression on his face.

"What are you doing here Duncan?" she asked, ignoring the look on his face.

"I wanted to see you." Duncan answered, with a shrug.

"That's it?" Bridgette asked, her voice thick with skepticism. "You wanted to see me, that's the only reason why you're here? You're sure there's not some other reason?"

"Well there is the fact that Izzy called me and told me you wanted to talk about some professor." Duncan said, with another grin.

"Oh really? Izzy called you did she?" Bridgette asked, casting a dark look at Izzy. "And when did this happen, exactly?"

"Yesterday." Izzy admitted, with an innocent grin.

"So why were you guys pushing me to call Duncan this morning?" Bridgette asked.

"Because we didn't know if he was coming." said Gwen. "He wasn't exactly clear on that when Izzy talked to him yesterday."

"Hey you know me, I like to keep things vague." Duncan said, with yet another grin.

"Well that's certainly true." said Bridgette, with a disgruntled look at Duncan.

"Why does it matter though?" he asked. "I came didn't I? So what was it about this professor you wanted to ask me about?"

"No, we're not having this conversation here." Bridgette said, glancing at her roommates. "Sorry guys, but this is a conversation I want to have alone. I'll fill you in later, okay?"

"Whatever, it's your life." Nikki muttered, leading Gwen and Izzy back to the kitchen.

Bridgette sighed and stepped out onto the porch, grabbing Duncan by the shirt as she did. "Come on, we're going over to campus to talk." she said, dragging him down the steps with her. Duncan didn't struggle and after a moment Bridgette released him, which drew an amused smile from the punk.

"What was that smile for?" Bridgette asked, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Just remembering how you used to be so authoritative when we were making out." Duncan said. "I see you still like being in charge."

"Shut up." Bridgette snapped. "Don't talk to me like I'm just some girl you had a couple of meaningless booty calls with. What we had was real and you know it or you wouldn't have avoided me for so long."

"Ah, for fuck's sake Bridgette." Duncan groaned, rolling his eyes. "I thought you wanted to talk about this professor dude and now you're dragging us back through memories of our time together? I've already told you I've moved on, what more do you want from me?"

"If you've really moved on then why were you avoiding me and why are you here now?" Bridgette asked, trying to keep the venom out of her voice.

"Damn it all, I was avoiding you because I thought you and Geoff deserved some time alone and I'm here today because Izzy said you seemed pretty upset about this professor." Duncan said, also trying to keep his voice level. "But if you don't want my help, I guess I'll fucking go." He turned to leave, but Bridgette caught him by the arm, turning him back towards her as she spoke.

"Duncan wait, I'm sorry." she said. "I didn't mean to jump to conclusions and I'm sorry for hounding you for answers you've already given. I do want your help. In fact I need your help, cuz it's the only way I can figure this mystery out."

Duncan sighed and then grinned. "Okay, I'll help, if I can." he said. "And I'm sorry too, for assuming that you were playing me. I know that's something you'd never do."

Bridgette nodded, fighting a sudden powerful urge to kiss him. She shook her head, trying to get her thoughts straight, and glanced at Duncan to see if he had noticed her internal struggle. He gave no sign that he had and she moved on to the topic at hand.

"Okay so, what I want to know is why do the Kings think I'm still in danger?" Bridgette asked, staring directly into Duncan's eyes as she spoke.

"Wait, what?" Duncan asked. "The Kings think you're still in danger? Is that what this professor dude told you?"

"Yes." Bridgette answered. "And I was hoping you'd know something about it."

Duncan shook his head, looking dumbfounded. "What exactly did the professor tell you?" he asked, after a moment of silence.

"He said that he knew what I'd been through, that it was the Kings who'd told him, and that McLean may have allies who could come seeking revenge for getting him locked up." Bridgette said.

"Why would they think something like that?" Duncan asked. "The Kings went over everything we found on McLean and there was nothing to suggest that he had any accomplices."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean there weren't any." Bridgette said.

"If McLean had allies, the Kings would have found something on them." Duncan said, his tone suggesting absolute certainty in his statement.

"Then why do they think I'm still in danger?" Bridgette asked, with a look of disbelief.

"I don't know." Duncan answered. "I haven't heard anything about this until just now. But I can say this, if the Kings really do believe that you're still in danger they most likely have a good reason to believe that. What that reason is however, I have no fucking clue."

"You're sure you don't know anything?" Bridgette asked.

"I swear to you Bridgette I have no knowledge of this." Duncan said. "I have no idea why the Kings think you're still in danger or why they had this professor tell you. Sorry, I wish I could be of more help."

"It's fine." Bridgette said, though her expression said she was anything but fine with Duncan's answers. It was clear to Duncan that Bridgette had been hoping for some brilliant insight into the minds of the Kings and he truly regretted not being able to help her. But there was nothing he could do and that was the truth of it. For a moment they stood in silence and then Duncan moved to comfort Bridgette, stopping himself before he touched her.

She looked at him and smiled. "Come on, I'll show you the campus." she said, her voice devoid of any trace of disappointment, though she still had a disappointed look in her eyes.

Duncan smiled and nodded, following her to the campus where they were greeted by a young man with dark hair and brown eyes, who smiled when he saw Bridgette.

"There you are Bridgette." the man said. "I've been looking for you all afternoon and I went by your house, but Nikki said you had headed over to campus and well, here you are."

"Who the fuck is this guy?" Duncan asked, eying the man with a look of dislike.

"This is Shane Shoals." Bridgette said. "He's the student assistant for my intro to sociology class and he's been helping me with my homework."

"Oh really?" Duncan said, his tone full of surprise. "So the tutor needs a tutor of her own. Interesting."

"I'm not a tutor any more." Bridgette reminded him. "And I don't need the help, it's just nice to have someone to study with."

"Don't you have Nikki, Gwen, and Izzy to study with?" Duncan asked, perplexed.

"Well yes, but Shane knows things they don't and they have other classes to study for as well." Bridgette said. "Why do you care anyway?"

"This guy just gives me a bad vibe is all and I don't want you to get hurt." Duncan said, with another dark look at Shane.

"Well, thank you for your input Duncan, but I can take care of myself, so I think you can go now." Bridgette said, unable to keep a bit of the venom out of her voice this time.

"Fine, whatever, see you around Blondy." Duncan muttered. With one last dark glance at Shane he turned and stalked off leaving Bridgette alone with Shane, who smiled, making her insides squirm with anticipation.

"Well, let's get to studying, shall we?" Shane asked, glancing at Bridgette.

"Yes, lets." Bridgette agreed, all her disappointment and worry melting away as she looked into his eyes.

**A/N: So that's that. Obviously there's something Duncan's not telling Bridgette, but you'll have to wait to find out what that is. Not really anything else to say about this chapter so, I guess that's it for now. **


	6. New Relationships

Sometime later that day Bridgette found herself glancing at her watch, wondering what time it was. She was shocked to see that her watch read 5:45. Had she and Shane really spent the entire afternoon studying without her realizing it? They must have, because they were still sitting at the same table they had taken in the library after parting ways with Duncan. A wave of guilt mixed with anger washed over her as she thought about the way Duncan had looked at her as she had explained her reasons for studying with Shane. She was not particularly pleased with how they had parted, but it wasn't her fault Duncan didn't trust Shane and he could have been more cordial then he had been. On the other hand, she supposed she could have told Duncan about Shane sooner, though she didn't see why he needed to know. They weren't going out after all. But then, she wasn't going out with Shane either, so maybe she should be more forthcoming with her friends about him. Either way, Bridgette was determined to hold off on telling anyone about her study sessions with Shane until she knew where they stood with each other. And if she was being honest with herself, she was pretty sure she already knew where she stood.

"Oh shit, is that really the time?" Shane's voice asked, drawing Bridgette out of her thoughts. She glanced at him and saw that he was staring at her with an apologetic look on his face.

This puzzled Bridgette as Shane had nothing to be sorry for. They had both lost track of time and Bridgette moved quickly to smooth things over. "Yeah, that's really the time." she said. "But don't worry about it. It's not your fault we lost track of time."

"Yeah, but I'm still sorry." Shane said. "You probably wanted to spend some more time with your friend before he leaves and I just ate up all that time while keeping you cooped up in here."

"I said don't worry about it." Bridgette muttered, trying to keep her voice level. "And as far as Duncan is concerned, I'm not sure he actually wants to spend time with me."

"He certainly seemed to want to this afternoon." Shane said, with a grin.

"Yeah, well I think that was just him trying to intimidate you." Bridgette said. "Which I'm sorry for by the way."

"Hey don't worry about it." Shane said, with a smile. "It's obvious he cares a great deal about you and I understand that. I know what it's like to have someone in your life you want to protect. So go easy on him next time you talk to him, okay?"

Bridgette nodded, but did not say anything. It was true that Duncan cared about her, but she couldn't use that as an excuse for his behavior. She wasn't in a relationship with Duncan and he had no right to decide who she should spend her time with. She could decide that for herself and she felt a sudden powerful urge to let Shane know that.

Shane seemed to notice Bridgette's internal struggle, as he was looking at her with concern. "Bridgette, is everything alright?" he asked, concern in his voice as well.

"Yeah, everything is fine." Bridgette answered. "Though you should know that Duncan and I aren't an item, not anymore."

"So you were with him at one time then?" Shane asked.

"Yes and it was wrong." Bridgette answered. "I cheated on my boyfriend with him and it ended badly. I mean, not as badly as it could have, we are still friends, but there's no longer that spark there, you know?" This wasn't entirely true, but Bridgette didn't feel like revealing all her secrets to Shane, not when she didn't know anything about him.

Shane seemed to understand her explanation about her relationship with Duncan as he asked no further questions. He also seemed to sense that she was keeping something from him, but he did not press the issue, for which Bridgette was grateful.

"Well we should probably get going, the library is about to close." Shane said, moving to pack up his stuff. Bridgette followed suit and a few minutes later they found themselves standing out in front of the library.

"Well, thanks for studying with me." Bridgette said. "I really appreciate it."

"Any time Bridgette." Shane said. "See you in class on Monday."

"Yep, see you Monday." Bridgette said, turning to leave. She had only taken a couple steps when Shane caught her by the arm and pulled her close, planting a kiss on her cheek. Bridgette felt her insides squirm and she instinctively pulled away from him. He let her go without saying anything, but she could see the look of longing in his eyes. The look made her shudder and she quickly walked away before he had a chance to do anything else to her.

* * *

><p>Bridgette arrived back at the house ten minutes later, out of breath from running. She entered the house, trying to arrange her features into a smile, but her roommates could tell something was wrong as soon as they saw her.<p>

"Bridgette, is everything okay?" Gwen asked, concern in her voice.

"I don't want to talk about it." Bridgette said, not looking at her roommates.

"Bridgette what's wrong?" Nikki asked. "Did Duncan do something to you?"

"I said, I don't want to talk about it." Bridgette snapped, slamming her bag down and storming up to her room without another word to her bewildered roommates.

That night Bridgette's mind was plagued by thoughts of beginning a new relationship with Shane. It was something she knew she could not do, even if she wanted to, and she wasn't sure she did. She had made a promise to Geoff that she would never cheat on him again she fully intended to honor that promise, no matter what. Still, she could not deny that there was something between her and Shane, just as there had been something between her and Duncan. But that didn't change the fact that she did not want to go through the pain and agony of cheating again. Even more important, she did not want to put Geoff or her other friends through that hell again either.

But all the promises in the world couldn't change the fact that it was, ultimately, her life and she had every right to be with whomever she wanted to be with. Bridgette already knew the answer to that question though, the person she wanted to be with was Geoff, so why was she even considering trying to start something with Shane? She had been repulsed by his attempt to kiss her, hadn't she? Of course she had, but was the reason for her aversion to Shane's attempt at a romantic play due to her loyalty to Geoff or was it due to something else? And then there was the biggest question, did Shane really love her or had he simply been messing with her when he had kissed her on the cheek? Bridgette had no answers and no way of really knowing without asking Shane how he felt, an idea that made her insides squirm again. But she had to know and she decided she would ask him on Monday, no matter how uncomfortable the idea made her feel.

* * *

><p>Bridgette arrived at class on Monday prepared to confront Shane about his true feelings only to find that he wasn't there. This was strange as Shane was Dr. McLellen's student aid and it was his job to be there for every class. His absence made Bridgette's confidence, which she had spent the remainder of the weekend trying to strengthen, falter. She had been so prepared to confront him and now she would have to wait for another time. Bridgette felt frustration and anger rise in her chest, but she quickly pushed it aside. Now was not the time for enraged outbursts, especially not with her roommates in the same room as her, as they had been trying to get her to speak to them since she had returned home on Saturday. She would get her chance to confront Shane, she simply didn't know when that chance would come. However, she did know of one way to find out where he was.<p>

As soon as class was over, Bridgette seized her chance, waiting until the room was empty before making her way over to Dr. McLellen. "Excuse me, Dr. McLellen, could I have a word with you please?" she asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"Of course." Dr. McLellen answered. "What can I help you with Miss Wells?"

"Well, um...I was wondering where Shane was today and I thought you might know since he's your aid and all." Bridgette said, not quite meeting her professor's gaze.

"I see." Dr. McLellen said, with an understanding nod. "And may I ask why you need to see Shane so urgently?"

Bridgette hesitated a moment before answering, ultimately deciding it was best to be honest. "We had an embarrassing interaction over the weekend and I just wanted to know how he felt about it." she said, still not looking at him.

Dr. McLellen gave her another nod and then smiled. "I see." he said. "Shane is out sick at the moment, but I am certain he would be delighted to hear you are concerned for him."

"Why would you say that?" Bridgette asked, staring at her professor with a look of shock.

"Because it is quite obvious to me that he likes you." Dr. McLellen answered. "I believe that is why he was so keen to help you study last week."

"So he does like me." Bridgette said, more to herself than to Dr. McLellen, though he answered her query all the same.

"It would seem so." he said, another smile briefly crossing his face.

"How can you be so sure about what he feels though?" Bridgette asked, confused again.

"Shane and I share a unique bond, one that allows us some degree of insight into each others minds." Dr. McLellen answered.

"So what, you two are psychic or something?" Bridgette asked, still confused and slightly annoyed.

"No, nothing like that." Dr. McLellen answered. "But Shane and I have known each other for a long time and I have come to know him in ways that others have not."

"Okay, but that still doesn't help me." Bridgette said. "Because like me or not, I can't have a relationship with Shane. I already have a boyfriend and I have no intention of cheating on him."

"It seems to me then, that this is an issue you must discuss with Shane and Shane alone." said Dr. McLellen. "I'm afraid I cannot be of any further assistance without delving into personal issues, which would most likely involve making you uncomfortable. My best advice is to talk to Shane as soon as possible and decide where you both stand. And make it clear to him that you do not wish to cheat on your boyfriend. Shane will understand, trust me."

Bridgette stared at him a moment, unsure if she could heed his words. But after thinking about it for a moment, what Dr. McLellen was saying made sense. Bridgette's only concern now was how to find Shane. Dr. McLellen had been somewhat helpful, but he was still being too vague for her liking. It was as though he was trying to hide something from her and that made her worried, as the last teacher who had been secretive with her had ended up raping her. But the Kings trusted him and for now that would have to be enough, as she had other things to worry about.

"So, when do you think Shane will be back?" she asked, realizing she had been staring at Dr. McLellen for nearly three minutes.

"I imagine he will be back by Wednesday." Dr. McLellen answered. "Now if you'll excuse me Miss Wells, I have another class to prepare for."

Bridgette nodded and watched him go, still wondering if she could truly trust him. But she pushed the thought away not wanting to dwell on Dr. McLellen's possible motivations at the moment. The Kings trusted him, she reminded herself again, and for now that would have to work. For now that would have to be the extent of their relationship.

* * *

><p>Two days later, after Wednesday's class, which Shane had thankfully been at, Bridgette finally made her move to confront him. The time she had spent waiting for this moment to arrive had been agonizing, as she had gone back and forth with herself on whether or not she actually wanted to go through with it. But now that the moment had finally arrived she had regained her confidence so there was no choice left but to go through with it.<p>

Again she waited until the room was empty before making her move, cornering Shane as he was leaving. Shane tried to avoid her but she grabbed him by his hoodie and pulled him back into the room. "Where do you think you're going?" she asked, her blue eyes blazing.

"I was heading to my next class, but you obviously have something to say, so I guess I'm staying here." Shane answered, his tone dark.

"Why did you kiss me on Saturday?" Bridgette demanded, staring directly into his eyes.

"I didn't kiss you, I gave you a quick peck on the cheek." Shane said, obviously angered by the question.

"Oh so a kiss on the cheek doesn't count as a real kiss in your book, does it?" Bridgette asked. "Because in my book it does and it seemed like you wanted to do more than kiss me on the cheek, judging by the way you grabbed me."

"And if I wanted to do more, so what?" Shane asked. "I can't change the way I feel about you and I'm not going to apologize for what I did."

"I don't expect you to." Bridgette said. "I just want to know how serious you are about having a relationship with me, that's all."

"How serious am I about being with you?" Shane asked. "Let's see, how can I explain this, when I am around you I feel like I'm floating. I feel like nothing bad can happen. I feel like I know what true love actually is. So to answer your question I am extremely fucking serious about being with you. I am so serious about it I would literally kill to be with you. Does that answer your question Bridgette?"

For a moment Bridgette didn't speak. She was so taken aback by Shane's declaration that she didn't know what to say. On the one hand she appreciated his blunt honesty and she could understand how he felt, having felt that way before herself with both Geoff and Duncan. But on the other hand she was a little put off by the fact that he had admitted he would kill to be with her. And then there was the fact that she was with Geoff and no matter how badly Shane wanted her she didn't want him.

"Shane, I'm sorry." she said, after a moment. "We can't be together. I can't be with you because I'm already with someone else."

"But you said you weren't with that punk dude." Shane said, confused.

"I'm not." Bridgette said. "I'm with someone else and I already cheated on him once and I won't do it again, not with you, not with anyone."

"Bridgette please." Shane pleaded. "I don't think I can live without you. Please be with me, we can keep it a secret, I know we can."

"Shane no, I don't want to go through that again." Bridgette said. "Besides you barely know me so how can you say you can't live without me? We can't do this and I don't want to hear about it again, okay?"

Shane nodded, obviously defeated, and then, without warning he was on her, his lips meeting hers in a passionate kiss. For a moment Bridgette allowed herself to melt into his passion before pulling away. They stood facing one another, both of them flushed from the passion of the moment, neither of them speaking. As she stared at him she noticed that there were tears in his eyes and she felt her throat constrict. How could she turn her back on him now, when he obviously wanted to be with her so badly? And in that moment she finally made her decision, she would be with him, even if it meant a return to the darkness that she had lived in last year.

"Okay Shane, I'll do it." she whispered. "I'll be with you, if that's what you really want."

"You mean it Bridgette?" he asked. "You'll really be with me?"

"Yes, I will." she answered. "But only if you promise to keep it a secret."

He nodded and she smiled, though as she did she felt a weight like iron settle in her chest as that familiar feeling of doubt crawled back out of the recesses of her mind.

**A/N: And so the mystery deepens, sort of. Yes I do realize that I am more or less repeating what I did in the Trials of High School, but there is a reason for that. A reason that should come as a shock, I hope. Anyway, that's all for now, hope you enjoyed it.**


	7. Keeping Secrets

Bridgette woke the next morning to find that her doubts had only grown stronger in the night. Her dreams had been plagued by visions of her friends turning their backs on her again and she was seriously questioning her decision to be with Shane. But she had made a promise to him and she wasn't about to break it. Something about the way he had looked at her when she had agreed to be with him had broken her resolve not to cheat and there was no turning back now. To turn back would be to cause Shane pain and Bridgette couldn't do that. It just wasn't in her nature to ignore people who needed her help, her relationship with Duncan had proven that. Of course that relationship had nearly cost her everything, so using her compassion as an excuse for breaking her promise to Geoff didn't exactly make her feel better. Still, she had made a promise to Shane as well and she would keep it as long as their relationship remained a secret.

After collecting her thoughts she got out of bed, got dressed, and made her way down to the kitchen where her roommates were already gathered. She smiled at them as she entered the room, though none of them returned the gesture. All three of them were looking at her with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion, a look that made her pause halfway into the room.

"Okay what?" she asked, staring back at her roommates. "Why are you guys all looking at me like that?"

"Why did you stay behind with Shane after class yesterday?" Nikki asked, making no attempt to hide her suspicion.

"I had to ask him about something, that's all." Bridgette answered, with no hesitation.

"Yeah, and what exactly did you need to ask him about?" Gwen asked, her dark eyes boring into Bridgette's.

"It's none of your business what I needed to ask him about." Bridgette answered, unable to keep her irritation out of her voice.

"You're keeping secrets from us again, aren't you?" Gwen asked, her gaze growing more intense as she searched Bridgette's face for signs of a tell.

"No, I am not keeping secrets from you again." Bridgette answered. "Why would I do that? After what happened last time, why would I have any reason to keep secrets from any of you? Do you think I'm cheating on Geoff again, is that why you're asking me these questions?"

"Bridgette calm down." said Izzy. "We're not accusing you of anything, we just want to know why you're spending time alone with Shane."

"He's tutoring me, okay." Bridgette answered. "That's all. I assume it's okay with all of you if I get a little extra help on my homework."

"Alright, if that's your story, that's your story." said Nikki. "It sounds believable to me so I won't question you further, but just remember, we are roommates now and if you are keeping secrets from us we will discover the truth eventually."

"I understand." Bridgette said, glancing at Gwen and Izzy, who both seemed to have agreed with Nikki's statement that they wouldn't question her any more.

"Good." Nikki said. "Eat some breakfast and we'll get going, okay?"

Bridgette nodded and moved to get some cereal from the cupboard. She wasn't sure she liked being ordered around but she was sure of one thing, her roommates were on to her already and she wondered how long it would be before they discovered the whole truth. She hoped it would take them awhile, at least long enough to give her the time to come up with a good excuse as to why she was with Shane. But given how things had transpired after the truth about her and Duncan had been revealed she sincerely doubted any excuse would be sufficient enough. And if that was the case then how would Geoff react and would there be any chance of saving her friendships with them this time. She pushed the thoughts aside, deciding that it wasn't worth it to worry about those things now. Her roommates didn't know the whole truth yet and with a little luck they never would.

Once she was finished with breakfast Bridgette and her roommates left for class. It was Thursday, so they didn't all begin the day with intro to sociology but they all liked to get to campus early anyway, mainly because it afforded them the opportunity to walk to campus together. Today Bridgette began her day with the other sociology class she was taking this term, sociology 208, gender and families. It was an interesting class and one she hoped her roommates would take at some point. She did not have any of her friends in the class with her, though Shane was also taking it, so she at least had someone to talk to.

She arrived at class to find Shane sitting in his usual seat near the front of the room. He smiled at her and gestured for her to take the seat next to his, which was usually taken by someone else. She returned his smile and took the seat, wondering where its usual occupant was going to sit.

"Hey Bridgette, how's it going?" Shane asked, his smile growing wider.

"Pretty good." Bridgette answered. "So, uh, where's the guy who usually sits here?"

"Oh, I convinced him to move." Shane answered, his smile transforming into a sinister grin.

"And how did you manage that, exactly?" Bridgette asked, not sure if she wanted to know the answer.

"I just told him you might want that seat and asked him to move." Shane answered. "It's no big deal, he seemed to understand."

"Okay, as long as you didn't threaten him or anything." Bridgette said. "I don't want you starting fights on account of me."

"Even though you're worth fighting for?" Shane asked, with a sly smile.

"I am not." Bridgette said, feeling herself flush. "I'm just a girl trying to make her way in the world, nothing more, nothing less."

"Oh but you are more, you just don't know it yet." Shane said, his tone cryptic.

Bridgette opened her mouth to argue, but before she could think of anything to say the professor walked in and class began. She shot Shane a dark look, letting him know that they were far from done with their conversation.

After class Bridgette and Shane went to the cafeteria for some lunch, which they took outside to one of the tables located near the entrance to Cascade Hall. They ate their lunch in relative silence, though Shane kept glancing at her as though he wanted to start up a conversation. As soon as they were finished he took Bridgette by the hand and led her to an empty classroom in MacArthur Hall. He closed the door behind them and then spun her around so they were face to face. For a moment they simply stared at one another and then they kissed, more passionately then they had the day before. Bridgette felt herself melt into the moment, her surroundings seeming to blur together until all that was left was her and Shane. And then, as if she were viewing the kiss from afar she realized what they were doing and instinctively pulled away.

"What's wrong?" Shane asked, gasping as he tried to catch his breath.

"Nothing." Bridgette lied. "I just needed to catch my breath."

Shane looked like he wanted to say something else but, after a moment, he simply shrugged and pulled her close again. She felt his lips press against hers and they were kissing again, but this time Shane seemed to be a little more hesitant, as though he was trying not to force her. But Bridgette suddenly found herself wanting him to be forceful, at least a little. Shane seemed to sense this as his grip on her suddenly tightened and they both surrendered fully to the passion once again. They remained locked in their embrace for what seemed like an eternity and then Bridgette saw a flash of movement by the door that made her pull away again.

"What is it now?" Shane asked, his tone impatient. "Do you need to catch your breath again, or am I doing something wrong?"

"Neither actually." Bridgette answered. "I think someone was watching us."

Shane turned towards the door, a look of alarm on his face, but there was no one there. "I don't see anyone Bridgette." he said. "Maybe you were seeing things."

"Yeah, maybe." Bridgette muttered, moving to leave the room.

"Where are you going?" Shane asked. "We're not done yet."

"I know, but I gotta go." Bridgette answered. "I'll talk to you later, okay?" And with that, she left, leaving Shane with a dumbfounded look on his face.

After leaving Shane Bridgette made her way home, hoping her roommates were there as she desperately needed to talk to them. She had a pretty good idea of who had been watching her and Shane, but she needed to talk to her roommates to be sure. She was fairly certain it was one of them, as there was no one else she could think of who would spy on her and Shane, except for Geoff, Duncan, and Dr. McLellen. But Bridgette didn't really think any of them were the person she'd seen, mainly because Geoff and Duncan weren't at CSU and Dr. McLellen didn't seem like the kind of person who went around spying on his students. So that left her roommates as the only logical culprits, she just had to figure out which one of them was the spy.

* * *

><p>Bridgette arrived home to find the house empty, which wasn't entirely surprising. Nikki, Gwen, and Izzy all had afternoon classes and Bridgette hadn't memorized their schedules yet. Technically she had a class that afternoon as well, but she had decided to skip it today as there were too many other things on her mind for her to concentrate on class at the moment. With her roommates still in class Bridgette decided to try and figure out which one of them was most likely to spy on her on her own. All three of them were likely candidates, though she could probably rule out Izzy. This was due to the fact that Izzy had been one of the few people who hadn't cast Bridgette aside last year when the truth had come out. Izzy had also been one of the few people to never cast suspicion or doubt on Bridgette then and she hadn't that morning either. So, with Izzy ruled out the list was down to Nikki and Gwen. Both of them were viable candidates as they had both been highly suspicious of Bridgette during her fling with Duncan and they had both been overtly hostile after the truth had come out. They had both seemed overly suspicious of her that morning as well. The only question was, which of them would be more likely to act on those suspicions.<p>

Bridgette was still considering her options when the door opened and her roommates entered the house. She glanced up at them as they entered the living room, watching to see if they were still feeling suspicious. But none of them gave any indication that they were about to start bludgeoning her with questions. And then Gwen paused and looked at Bridgette and the look in her eyes told Bridgette all she needed to know.

"I know what you're doing Gwen." she said, making Gwen look away and Nikki and Izzy pause as well.

"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about." Gwen said. "I'm not doing anything."

"Yes you are." Bridgette said. "You're acting suspicious towards me again, like you did last year and I want to know why." Truthfully she already knew the reason why Gwen was suspicious of her but she wanted to hear Gwen say it.

"Okay, you want to know why I'm suspicious than tell us why you're keeping secrets from us." Gwen said, obviously trying to keep her cool.

"I told you this morning, I am not keeping secrets from you." Bridgette said, her tone flat.

"Yeah, yeah, we know." Gwen said. "But that's bullshit. Just like it was when you told us you weren't cheating on Geoff. Besides I already know the truth. I saw you this afternoon in MacArthur Hall, with Shane Shoals."

"Wait what?" Nikki asked. "You saw Bridgette with Shane? And what were they doing?"

"They were kissing." Gwen said, with a grin.

"Damn it Bridgette, you said you weren't gonna do this shit again." Nikki said, with a disappointed glance at Bridgette.

"I know, I know, but I can't help it." Bridgette said. "There's something about Shane that draws me to him. He needs me the same way Duncan and Geoff need me and I can't turn my back on people in need."

"Fuck, she's right." Nikki said, with a sigh. "It's not right to turn our backs on people in need and I won't do it."

"Oh come on." Gwen said. "You're not really going to buy that shit again are you? That's the same fucking excuse she gave us last year."

"Yeah and it turned out to be a pretty good excuse." Izzy said. "Or do you not remember the shitty life Duncan has lived or how desperate Geoff was? Bridgette's only doing what she thinks is right and we have no right to stop her. Besides, how do we know she isn't telling the truth and Shane doesn't need her? Maybe he actually does."

"Okay I see your point, but I still don't like this." Gwen said. "It just doesn't feel-" Her sentence was cut short by the sound of Bridgette's phone ringing. All four girls glanced at the phone and then Gwen dove for it before Bridgette could get to it.

"Hello?" Gwen asked, answering the call. "Oh hey Geoff, what's up?" She glanced at Bridgette and grinned.

"Gwen don't you dare tell him about Shane." Bridgette said through clenched teeth.

Gwen grinned again and handed the phone over to Bridgette who quickly told Geoff they would talk later and hung up. She then turned to Gwen, her expression dark, and said, as calmly as possible, "Don't ever answer my phone like that again."

"Oh come on Bridgette, I wasn't really gonna tell him." Gwen said, with another grin.

"Oh really?" Bridgette asked. "And why should I believe you?"

"Because we're friends and roommates." said Gwen. "And because it's the truth."

"Okay, but you have to promise me you won't tell Geoff about me and Shane." Bridgette said. "That goes for you two as well." She glanced at Nikki and Izzy, who both nodded to show they understood, as did Gwen.

"You have our word Bridgette, we'll keep your secret, no matter what." said Izzy.

"Thank you." Bridgette said. "Now let's make some dinner and do some homework."

The other three nodded and they moved towards the kitchen, Bridgette feeling a wave of relief wash over her at the thought that her roommates knew her secret and were willing to keep it from Geoff.

**A/N: Well that didn't take long, did it? I just couldn't jutify keeping Bridgette and Shane's relationship a secret from all of the other characters for multiple chapters, so that's why she told. Also, some of you have wondered why I'm doing this again, having Bridgette cheat and lie and all that. Well all I can say is, there is a reason and you'll find out what it is soon enough. Hang on to your hats kids, we're about to enter the part of the story where shit gets weired.**


	8. Bad Dreams

_The room was dark and unfamiliar, though Bridgette guessed it was somewhere on the CSU campus. She glanced around the room, trying to make sense of where she was, but there was nothing to indicate which building she was in. Wherever she was it was most likely some place old as the room looked like it hadn't been used in years. This confused Bridgette as everywhere on campus was used by someone, as far as she knew. But undoubtedly there were places that weren't used that often, like the basement of Cascade Hall, which Bridgette had been told about by Shane. Apparently the basement was only used for storage now, though there were rumors that it was haunted. Bridgette shuddered as she thought about the horrible things that could haunt the basement of a building as old as Cascade Hall. It was then that she became aware of another presence in the room._

_"Hello?" she asked, her terrified voice echoing in the silent room. "Who's there?"_

_No response came and Bridgette felt her stomach constrict as fear flooded her system. She glanced around the room again, trying to spot the other person but the room was too dark for her to see properly. _

_"Show yourself." she demanded, trying to make her voice sound confident and commanding, despite her fear._

_This time her command was heeded as bright lights suddenly snapped on, throwing the room into sharp relief. Bridgette noticed a chair in the center of the room and beside the chair was a large metal wash basin. Bridgette stared at the two objects, puzzled. Why would these two specific objects be placed together in this room? What was the significance of this show? And who was watching her? It was then that Bridgette noticed the other person in the room as he stepped out of the shadows. Her eyes widened in surprise and she felt her chest clench in fear._

_"Geoff?" she breathed, barely able to process what she was seeing. "Geoff what are you doing here? Where are we?"_

_"Where we are is not important." Geoff answered, his tone full of malice and cold hatred. "What matters is why we're here."_

_"And why is that, exactly?" Bridgette asked, though she was certain she already knew._

_"We're here because you betrayed us, again." said Duncan, as he to stepped out of the shadows. "We're here so you can be punished for breaking your promises."_

_"No, please no." Bridgette pleaded. "I...I'm sorry, okay. I didn't mean to hurt you, I swear I didn't. Shane needed me and you both know I can't turn my back on those in need."_

_"How could you do it?" Geoff asked. "You think we care if he was in need? You promised us you would never do this shit again and you broke that promise. And now you must pay the price."_

_At that moment Nikki, Gwen, Izzy, Jude, Starr, LeShawna, Trent, Wyatt, Marlowe, Owen, Eva, Katie, Sadie, Ezekiel, Harold, Beth, Cody, Noah, Sierra, Courtney, Jen, Heather, Lindsey, Caitlin, Alejandro, Justin, Tyler, Tricia, Darth, Julie, the Clones, the Kings and her parents all entered. All of them wore looks of disappointment and disgust, though many of them were also smiling. _

_"Why are they all here?" Bridgette asked, staring at Geoff and Duncan._

_"They're here to watch you be judged." Duncan answered. "You betrayed them as well Blondy. They want to see you pay just as bad as Geoff and I do."_

_"What are you going to do to me?" Bridgette asked, unable to meet Duncan's glare._

_"You'll see." Duncan said. "Now please, take a seat." He gestured at the chair in the center of the room and Bridgette obeyed his command. As she sat she noticed that the wash basin was full of water and in that moment she knew what was going to happen. Her friends were going to kill her, as punishment for her relationship with Shane._

_"No, please God no." she breathed, staring at her friends. "Please don't do this."_

_"We have no choice, it's the only way you'll learn." Geoff said, from behind her. _

_A second later he grabbed her by the hair and plunged her head into the water, holding her down with all of his strength. Bridgette felt the water rush into her lungs, choking her. She pushed back against the pressure of Geoff's body, but his strength was too much to overcome. After a moment of struggle she felt her body convulse and then relax as her life left her, her last sensation that of hearing the gurgle produced by her final breath being exhaled into the water._

Bridgette snapped awake, with a gasp of terror, finding herself in her room wrapped in her tangled sheets. For a moment she simply sat in shock, breathing heavily, as though she had just ran for miles. Finally, after several terrifying minutes calm returned and her senses began to clear. She was obviously in her room, obviously alone and obviously alive. So it had all been a dream then, the room, her friends judging her, Geoff drowning her in a tub of water, it had all been a dream. But why had it seemed so real and why would she dream something like that? The thought that her dreams had shown her something so horrible made Bridgette want to cry and scream and vomit all at the same time. She shuddered as she tried to control these urges, ultimately failing to control all of them, as she turned and vomited all over her floor, her stomach manifesting her inability to deal with the dream. Twice she vomited on the floor before dragging herself out of bed and staggering to the bathroom where she vomited a third time, barely making it into the toilet. As she finished purging she heard movement outside the bathroom and turned to see her roommates standing in the hallway, all of them staring at her in concern.

"Bridgette, are you okay?" Izzy asked, moving to help Bridgette to her feet.

"Had a bad dream..." Bridgette gasped, her voice trailing off as she turned back towards the toilet and vomited again.

"You had a bad dream and it made you puke your guts out?" Gwen asked, her look changing from concern to skepticism.

"I know, it sounds insane." Bridgette said, coming back up from the toilet. "But it's true. Although I think it's what happened in the dream that's making me puke, not the dream itself."

"I guess that makes sense." said Izzy. "It could be possible that your violent physical reaction to the dream is your body's way of trying to rid itself of the memory of the dream. What was the dream about anyway?"

"I...I was in a strange room and then Geoff and Duncan were there and then-" She paused, unsure if she wanted to continue, her gaze meeting Nikki's. For a moment she simply stared at her roommates as though she was waiting for them to grab her and drag her off to that room and then she shook her head and continued. "And then you guys were there, and everybody else too. Geoff and Duncan were mad at me for being with Shane and they were saying that you were all there to judge me for betraying you again. And then Geoff drowned me in a tub of water and then I woke up."

"Fucking hell." Nikki said, her expression horrified. "That's horrible Bridgette, really horrible. And really fucking dark too."

"Yeah, no kidding." Bridgette muttered. "Why would I dream about something like that though? I mean, I know Geoff and Duncan wouldn't be happy to learn about me and Shane and I know you guys weren't exactly thrilled when I admitted the truth to you two days ago, but I know you wouldn't kill me as punishment and neither would Geoff or Duncan."

"Well that much is true." said Gwen. "My guess is you're feeling guilty about being with Shane and this was simply your conscious acting upon that guilt. I'm not saying it's a good thing, but that would be my guess."

"That makes sense to me." Bridgette said. "I'm starting to think you guys were right. Maybe I should break things off with Shane."

"Maybe, but it was just a dream Bridgette." said Nikki. "Maybe it meant nothing. I don't think you should break up with Shane just yet. But if this starts to become a problem than it may be time to start considering that option."

Bridgette nodded and moved to exit the bathroom. She appreciated her roommates attempts to help but she knew that breaking things off with Shane was the only option she had. But that was a decision to be made in the morning, right now she had a bedroom to clean up and sleep to attempt to reclaim.

Bridgette woke the next morning feeling like she hadn't gotten nearly enough sleep. The memory of the previous night's horrifying nightmare was still fresh in her mind and she felt another powerful wave of nausea wash over her. Fortunately she was able to control the urge, much to her relief. She didn't need a repeat of the previous night's puke fest, though she was certain that dream would haunt her for awhile. It had now been three days since she had told her roommates the truth about her and Shane and she had been having bad dreams ever since. But the most recent dream had been the worst, as it had felt more real than any dream she had had in her entire life. Shaking her head in a vain attempt to clear the memory from her head, she climbed out of bed and got dressed before heading down for breakfast.

Bridgette entered the kitchen to find her roommates waiting for her, as usual. They looked like they had been talking and had abruptly stopped when they heard her approaching. It was obvious that none of them had gotten much sleep after the meeting in the bathroom the previous night. This made Bridgette's insides squirm with guilt, as there was no need for them to lose sleep worrying about her. She didn't tell them this of course, as she knew they would only dismiss her concerns and focus on her, which she hated but it wasn't worth starting an argument.

"Hey guys." she muttered, stifling a yawn as she took a seat across the table from Izzy.

"How're you feeling this morning?" Izzy asked, glancing up from her cereal.

"Better, I think." Bridgette answered, with a half hearted smile. "I think last night was a one time thing, brought on by the dream, like Gwen said."

"Well, that's good to know." Gwen said. "I'm glad you're okay Bridgette and I hope you don't have any more dreams like that."

"You and me both." Bridgette muttered, pouring herself a glass of orange juice as she spoke. "I don't want to ever experience anything like that again. It was just so fucking real, you know? And I was so fucking scared, even though I knew there was no way it could be real because I know you guys would never do something like that to me."

"And like Gwen said last night, that will always be true." said Nikki. "I don't care what you do Bridgette or how your actions may make us feel, but I promise I will never let something like that happen to you or anyone else in our group. The day we start killing each other is the day we lose everything and I have no intention of ever letting that happen. Now, let's move on from this depressing topic and get ready for school, okay?"

Bridgette, Izzy, and Gwen all nodded and they all moved to finish getting ready. Fifteen minutes later they headed out the door and for the rest of the day Bridgette completely forgot about the dream. In fact she wouldn't think about or experience any bad dreams for the next four days, until a new terrifying vision gripped her mind in the midst of sleep.

_She was in that room again, the one her friends had judged her in before, only this time something was different. The room was cold as well as dark and Bridgette could see her breath in the air. For a moment she tried to comprehend how she was back in this room when her last visit here had ended with her death and then she remembered it was a dream. Or was it? This time felt even more real than the last and yet it made no sense. If she had died in this room the last time, why would her mind be taking her there again? And then she felt it, the presence of another person in the room, just like the last time._

_"Alright Geoff, you can quit with the secretive bullshit." Bridgette said, no trace of fear in her voice this time._

_"Sorry, Geoff's not here." the stranger said. "But I'd be delighted to take his place." With that, Shane stepped out of the darkness, a smile on his face._

_"Shane?" Bridgette asked. "What are you doing in my dreams?"_

_"I'm here to warn you." Shane answered. "We all are."_

_"Wait, who's we?" Bridgette asked, though she could already guess._

_"You know who I'm talking about Bridgette." Shane answered. "Your friends, all of them, they're here for you and you're going to need them, trust me."_

_"Need them for what, exactly?" Bridgette demanded, staring at Shane with a mixture of disbelief, irritation, and fear._

_"We can't tell you that yet Blondy, sorry." said Duncan, as he emerged from the shadows as well, along with the rest of her friends._

_"Why? Why can't you tell me?" Bridgette asked, her fear gaining strength in the wake of Duncan's cryptic message._

_"They can't tell you because you have to come to the answer on your own." said another, horribly familiar voice from somewhere deep in the shadows. The voice made Bridgette's skin crawl and sent shivers down her spine, but she couldn't see the speaker and had no way of knowing who he was. All she knew for certain was that the speaker was male and he knew her from somewhere._

_"Who are you?" Bridgette asked. "Why are you doing this to me? Why are all my friends here? Are they really trying to help me or are they helping you?"_

_"Oh Bridgette, you silly girl, don't you get it?" the mystery man asked. "You're doing this to yourself. This is all in your head, you're torturing yourself because you're guilty. You're guilty and you know you are and this is the only way you rid yourself of your guilt, because you lack the strength to tell the people you have harmed you're sorry."_

_"What? What the fuck are you talking about?" Bridgette asked. "I am not feeling guilty about anything and I am not doing this to myself. Tell me what's really going on or I swear to God I'll kill you."_

_"No Bridgette, you won't." the mystery man said, malice in his voice now. "You won't kill me. You can't. You lack the strength to deal such a blow and that shall be your downfall. I will take advantage of that weakness and I will kill YOU!" _

_With that the mystery man stepped into the light, making Bridgette freeze in fear, for the man standing before her was none other than Chris McLean, the man who had raped her and tried to kill her. The man she had later sent to prison with her testimony at his trial. For a moment they simply stared at one another, Bridgette frozen in fear and McLean smiling his twisted, sadistic smile and then he stepped forward and plunged a knife into her chest, directly into her heart._

Bridgette snapped awake, unable to keep the scream contained this time. She was breathing heavily again, her breath coming in sharp, painful gasps. Instinctively she reached for her chest, but was not surprised to find no wound. Still, the images were fresh in her mind and she doubted they would ever go away. Her dreams were getting worse, she had seen McLean clear as day, as though he had actually been there. She wasn't sure exactly why she was having these dreams or what they all meant, but one thing was clear to her, Chris McLean wanted her dead and he would do anything to ensure it happened.

**A/N: See I told you shit was gonna get wierd. And kinda creepy, at least I think it is, which is the point of course. Anyway, we are only a couple of chapters away from the apex of the story, the point at which things will start to get really interesting. That's all for now, hope you enjoyed it. **


	9. Life on the Inside

Several hours later Bridgette was still trying to explain her latest dream to her roommates, who had all come rushing into her room upon hearing her scream. She had still not managed to clear the image of McLean stabbing her from her mind and doubted it would ever leave. It was something she knew wasn't possible, as McLean was behind bars in a maximum security prison, and yet it had felt so real. She had actually felt the blade of his knife pierce her chest, but there was no wound on her body, she had already checked. It was this that worried Bridgette most as she couldn't understand how a wound suffered in her dreams could cause her actual physical pain. Fortunately her roommates, particularly Izzy, had some theories on the subject and their support was helping to calm Bridgette's nerves a great deal.

"So, this physical manifestation of pain may be my mind trying to tell me something?" Bridgette asked, glancing at Izzy.

"Yes." Izzy replied. "Like I said, sometimes our minds force us to physically experience portions of our dreams as a means of dealing with the issues. That's why we dream after all, because it allows us to work through shit at a subconscious level. Sometimes it works in reverse as well."

"But what is her mind trying to tell her?" Nikki asked, glancing from Izzy to Bridgette.

"I think it's trying to warn me about McLean." Bridgette answered, shuddering at the thought. "Why else would he have been in my dream?"

"But it doesn't make sense." said Gwen. "Why would your mind be trying to warn you about McLean when he's locked up with no way out?"

"Perhaps he does have a way out." Izzy suggested, her gaze traveling around the room.

"He's in a maximum security facility Iz, how's he gonna escape?" Nikki asked.

"I don't know." Izzy said, her tone exasperated. "Maybe he's got someone on the outside who's helping him? Maybe he's found a secret tunnel that'll lead him to freedom? I honestly don't know. I mean, I'm not saying he does have a way out, I'm just saying he may have found one."

"Fuck, that's a really unpleasant thought." said Gwen. "If that sick bastard gets out he's gonna come for us again, you all realize that right?"

"Yeah, we do." said Bridgette. "I think that's why he was in my dreams. To warn us, so we're ready, in case he ever does get out."

"Maybe, but I still don't think he's gonna escape." said Nikki. "I mean, he's had what, like four or five months to do it? So why hasn't he?"

"Because he's probably planning or something." said Izzy. "Come on Nik, don't ask us why a fucking pedophile hasn't escaped from prison yet. How are any of us supposed to have the answers to that question?"

"Okay, sorry." said Nikki. "I was just asking. You don't have to freak out Izzy."

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Izzy muttered, rolling her eyes. "So, what are we gonna do about this? Are we gonna tell the Kings or the cops or what?"

"I don't think we need to go that far yet Izzy." said Bridgette, though her impulse was to alert everyone she could.

"Why not?" Izzy asked. "You're the one who saw the prick in your dreams. Why shouldn't we alert everyone we can?"

"Well for one, because it was a dream." said Bridgette. "And as freaked out as I am, we don't need to go creating a panic just because I had a bad dream. Also, we have no proof McLean is actually trying to escape so there's no reason to raise a false alarm. Besides, if we go to the police and tell them we think a maximum security prisoner is trying to escape what do you think they're going to say? Do you think they're going to take us seriously?"

"No, they'd probably just ignore us." said Gwen. "Or think we were crazy or that we were involved with helping him escape."

"Exactly." said Bridgette. "So we're not gonna do anything yet, not until we know for sure, though by then it'll probably be too late, but still, for now we do nothing. Okay?"

"Okay, fine, we won't do anything." Izzy said, with a sigh. Nikki and Gwen both nodded to show they agreed with Bridgette as well.

For her part Bridgette wasn't sure she agreed with herself, but she wasn't about to admit that. However, if she was being honest with herself she was still terrified that McLean was going to escape. But without proof there was no point in going to the authorities, especially since she had only seen him in a dream, albeit a very realistic dream. So for now she and her roommates would keep this to themselves and hope that McLean was secure in his prison cell.

* * *

><p>At that moment their hopes were secure, as Chris McLean was indeed in his prison cell some seven hundred miles away. After being convicted of the rape and attempted murder of Bridgette and the sexual abuse of the others, McLean had been sentenced to life in prison, as the judge had found his crimes deserving of such a penalty. He had been taken to a maximum security prison called Archer Federal Penitentiary, which was located halfway across the country from Fort Columbus in the town of Archer. Archer has a reputation for being an absolute hell hole and the prisoners there have nicknamed it "the Butcher's Pit", a name derived from the number of murders which occur at the prison and the brutal conditions prisoners live in. Of course, there is a reason why Archer is such a cruel place; it houses some of the most dangerous and deranged criminals in the country and that's why McLean was sent there. His crimes were deemed horrible enough to justify locking him up for life in the worst prison in the country.<p>

When McLean had first been sentenced to life in Archer he had been filled with a sense of dread he had never before felt. But in the few months he had spent there that fear had quickly dissipated, giving way to a steely determination and a sinister outlook on life. Life on the inside was not nearly as bad as McLean had been lead to believe, especially since he had worked his way to the top of the prison hierarchy through sheer force of will. McLean had discovered that degenerate prisoners were even easier to manipulate than teenagers and he had built himself a solid wall of supporters who kept him safe from the ravages of prison politics. It had not been an easy endeavor and McLean was surprised his plans had worked out so well, but he wasn't about to complain. He had all the pieces in place, now all he had to do was move them, but that was not going to be easy, as he still had enemies within the prison and people on the outside who would do anything to ensure he stayed right where he was. But McLean had taken all of these variables into account and he was sure his plan would work, he just needed the right moment to present itself.

At that moment however, McLean was not yet ready to put his plan into action. Even if he was ready, he couldn't given that he was locked in his cell. But it was nearly time for lunch and then the prisoners would get an hour in the yard, where McLean would make his final preparations. Twenty minutes later the door to McLean's cell rattled open and he stepped forward to allow the guard to shackle him. Once he was shackled McLean stepped out of his cell and followed the other prisoners down to the cafeteria where he was greeted by two large musclebound men who were both prisoners as well. The larger of the two men smiled at McLean and cracked his knuckles menacingly.

"Hey McLean, how's it going?" the man, who's name was Dalton Keller asked. "When are you gonna pay up on the debt you owe me?"

"Well, I was going to do it yesterday, but I couldn't find you in the yard, so I couldn't really pay up then." McLean said, with a smile.

"You think you're so good, but don't forget how it works in here rapist." Dalton snarled. "You may be at the top now, but there's some in here who think your ascension was a fluke. Just remember what you owe and pay up by tomorrow or else." With that, Dalton and his companion turned and headed over to their table, leaving McLean to get his food.

"Don't worry Dalton, I remember perfectly well what I owe." McLean muttered to himself, casting a dark look at Dalton's back. "And when I enact my plan you'll pay just like all the others."

"McLean, move your ass!" one of the guards shouted, gesturing for McLean to move up to the counter to get his food. McLean obeyed and a short time later he found himself sitting on his usual bench in the far western corner of the yard.

Moments later he was joined by four other prisoners who had all agreed to help him carry out his plan. The men's names were Phil Legurski, Carlos Zapata, Doug Willis, and Tommy "Six Blades" Felman. Phil and Tommy were in prison for murder, Carlos for drug related crimes and Doug, like McLean, was in for rape and other sex crimes. The four of them had rallied around McLean because they felt he was their way out, though he felt no loyalty to them beyond his need for their help in enacting his plan.

"So what's the word boss?" Tommy asked, glancing at McLean. "We saw you talking with Keller again. He still on you about that debt?"

"Yes." McLean muttered. "But that's not important right now. We have to make final preparations or this whole thing goes to shit."

"Right, so, what're we doing again?" Phil asked, glancing around the group.

"Damn it Phil how many time do I have to tell you not to forget the fucking plan?" McLean snarled through clenched teeth. "It's a simple operation, you fucking idiot."

Phil twitched like he wanted to hit McLean, but a warning glance from Carlos made him think twice. McLean noticed this exchange, but decided to let it slide. He had more important things to think about at the moment and would deal with his lackeys later.

"Okay, so, for those of you who have trouble remembering the plan, here's how it works." McLean said. "Two of you will start a fight, distracting the guards, which will allow me the time to slip back to my cell and get the drug Carlos procured for me. I take the drug, one of you points out that I'm dying, the guards take me to the prison hospital and I get out."

"And then you send someone back for us, right?" asked Doug, with a hopeful look.

"Yes Doug, I won't forget that." McLean muttered, though he had no intention of helping them out at all. "So that's the plan, don't forget it again. We move in two days."

The others nodded and McLean smiled. If everything went according to plan, in two days he would be a free man once again.

**A/N: Well there you go. You now know what McLean has been up to since being convicted. Also, as far as the stuff about dreams I'm not sure if that's accurate but I think it is. Finally, just because I wrote this, don't assume that McLean is going to escape. He might, but he might not. That's all I can say for now.**


	10. Escape

McLean spent much of the next day going over his plan in his mind and avoiding Dalton Keller. He was sure the plan would work, as long as the others came through on their end, which was not a guarantee, especially with Phil who was an idiot. Still McLean was confident and until something happened to prove him wrong he would remain that way. He was less confident about avoiding Dalton for the entire day and was certain that if Dalton got a hold of him he wouldn't make it to the next day. This was less than comforting as the next day was the date of McLean's planned escape and if Dalton kept him from escaping he would never get to enact his revenge on those who had landed him here. McLean knew that if he died without getting his revenge he would die a very unhappy man indeed, so he had no intention of letting Dalton get him. The only question was how to avoid the man for the remainder of his time on the inside. It would not be an easy task, as Dalton had many allies in the prison, at least as many as McLean did, but McLean was never without a plan and he was fairly confident his plan for avoiding Dalton would work.

Unfortunately Dalton had a plan of his own and McLean would not be able to avoid him for the entire day. At dinner that night, Dalton and several of his cronies cornered McLean in one corner of the cafeteria.

"Alright McLean, time's up." Dalton snarled. "Time to pay up."

"Sorry Dalton, I can't." McLean said with an innocent smile.

"What do you mean you can't?" Dalton snapped. "I thought I made it clear what would happen if you don't pay up."

"You did." McLean said, with a nod. "But I don't really care. Your threats don't scare me and I have no intention of paying what I owe. So you can just walk away Keller, we're no longer in business together."

"You insolent little shit." Dalton snarled, advancing towards McLean. "You don't get to just walk away from me. I run this prison and now you're gonna die here."

"Keller, get back to your cell." a guard shouted, advancing towards them, his nightstick drawn. Dalton looked like he was going to disobey but then thought better of it. With one last glance at McLean he turned and stomped off to his cell, while McLean moved to get some more food.

A short while later, as McLean made his way back to his cell he ran into Carlos and Tommy, who were also on their way back to the cell block. McLean's two cohorts both nodded and McLean motioned for them to follow him. Once they were safely in McLean's cell he turned to face them. "Alright, there's been a change in the plan." he said, in hushed tones. "Instead of starting a fight with each other I want you to take out Keller, got it?"

Carlos and Tommy both nodded and McLean smiled. "Excellent, make sure Doug and Phil know the new plan as well." he said. His cohorts nodded again and left, leaving McLean to make one final run through of the plan.

The next day, as the prisoners made their way down to the cafeteria for lunch, McLean took note of where everyone was and made sure they all had visual contact with one another. Twenty minutes later, once the majority of the prison population was seated in the cafeteria, McLean gave the signal and Tommy, Carlos, Phil, and Doug approached Dalton's table. McLean watched as Tommy pulled out a shank and lunged at Dalton, who blocked that attack with ease. Within seconds the entire table was involved in a brawl, with more and more prisoners joining by the second. As soon as the cafeteria was consumed by chaos McLean slipped out past the guards as they moved to break up the brawl and made his way back to his cell where he retrieved the small capsule Carlos had gotten him six days earlier.

McLean had no idea exactly what was in the capsule but he knew it would get the job done, Carlos had assured him of that. Whatever drugs or chemicals Carlos' associates on the outside had put into the capsule McLean knew they would simulate the effects of an overdose and that the prison hospital would not be equipped to deal with his symptoms. Still, despite the months of planning McLean could not help feeling a little worried. If something went wrong and Carlos' drugs didn't work the way they were supposed to McLean could end up dead and then he wouldn't get his revenge. McLean pushed the thought aside as he made his way back down to the cafeteria, which was still in a state of chaos, much to his delight. For a moment he simply stood and watched the brawl amazed at how easily prisoners were spurred to violence. He had to give the guys credit, they certainly knew how create mayhem and he was grateful for that, though he still had no intention of returning for them once he was out. After another moment of admiring his cohort's handiwork McLean took a deep breath and swallowed the capsule.

The effects were instantaneous, as no sooner had the capsule hit McLean's stomach when an intense burning sensation began to radiate through his midsection. Seconds later McLean doubled over and began vomiting uncontrollably, the sound of his heaving echoing in the suddenly silent cafeteria. McLean felt the room begin to spin and the next thing he knew he was lying on his back with Carlos and two guards kneeling over him.

"I think he's fucking dying." Carlos said, glancing from McLean to the guards and then at Tommy, Phil, and Doug who were standing nearby.

"Fuck, I think Zapata is right." one of the guards said, also glancing at McLean.

The other guard looked less than convinced and for a moment it seemed like he was going to just let McLean lay there and die. But then he sighed and moved to pull McLean to his feet, supporting McLean's weight with one massive arm. "Alright McLean, let's get you to the prison hospital." the guard muttered, motioning for the other guard to join them.

Together the two guards half carried, half dragged McLean to the prison hospital with him coughing and vomiting the whole time. Moments later they entered the hospital ward where they were greeted by a nurse who lead them to one of the beds along the far wall. The guards deposited McLean in the bed and moved aside as the prison doctor entered.

"What've we got?" the doctor asked, her voice sounding to McLean as though it was coming from very far way. McLean had only seen the hospital doctor once, when he had first been brought here, but he remembered she had been kind. The doctor's name was Leslie Steiner and she was the only person in Archer whom McLean actually liked, despite having only met her once.

"We're not really sure, he just started vomiting and then he collapsed." one of the guards said, his voice bringing McLean back to the reality of the situation. It seemed Carlos' drugs were working, though McLean was shocked by how well they were working. He had not expected the pain to be so intense or the symptoms to be so sudden, but again he had to give Carlos credit. The former drug dealer certainly knew his craft.

"Well, let's take a look and see if we can't figure out what's wrong with him." Dr. Steiner said, moving to examine McLean. "McLean can you speak? Tell me what's wrong."

McLean tried to speak but nothing came out except for a gasp of pain. His eyes rolled and he began to convulse, blood dribbling out of the corners of his mouth.

"Shit, that's not good." Dr. Steiner said, her tone shocked. "I think he's been poisoned and if that's the case this is beyond my ability to treat."

"Well what the fuck are we supposed to do then?" one of the guards asked.

"We'll have to ship him to the hospital in town." Dr. Steiner answered.

"That is out of the question." said the other guard. "He's a prisoner at the most brutal prison in the country, there is no way in hell we are sending him to a hospital full of civilians."

"He's been poisoned." Dr. Steiner snapped. "Do you really think he's going to be a threat to anyone in his current condition? We can't just let him die, no matter what he did to land himself in here, we have an obligation to ensure his safety."

"Alright, we'll send him to the hospital in town." the first guard said, with a sigh. "Make the call Dr. Steiner."

Dr. Steiner nodded and moved to call the hospital in town. Fifteen minutes later the ambulance arrived and four paramedics entered the prison hospital. After stabilizing McLean they took him to the ambulance and loaded him inside with assurances that he would be taken care of and would be monitored at all times. Dr. Steiner and the guards watched the ambulance pull away before heading back into the prison, content that McLean would be treated and returned to them in working condition. But what none of them suspected was this was the last time they would ever see Chris McLean, as the paramedics were plants and McLean had planned all of this.

Twenty minutes later the ambulance pulled into an abandoned parking lot, where an SUV sat waiting for its arrival. Within the ambulance McLean was recovering, his fake paramedics having given him the antidote for the poison in Carlos' capsule. After several more minutes of recovery McLean made his way to the SUV where he was greeted by the driver's smile.

"Where to boss?" the driver asked, his smile widening.

"Take me to Fort Columbus, I have business to attended to there." McLean said, his smile sinister. The driver nodded and the SUV pulled out of the parking lot before heading towards Fort Columbus.

**A/N: Oh yeah, I did it. I let McLean out. Some of you probably suspected this was going to happen and you were right. So, what does this mean for Bridgette and her friends? Well, it means a lot of things actually and you'll just have to keep reading to find out.**


	11. Ignorance is Bliss

Bridgette sat on the couch reading a book for her intro to sociology class. It had been more than two days since her dream about McLean and she had not had another one. But the feeling of unease was still there and Bridgette still had a desire to tell the Kings about the dream. However, her hands were tied on that subject as she had been the one who had insisted on not telling anyone and to do so now would make her look like a hypocrite in her roommates eyes. Truth be told she actually hadn't thought about the dream much in last two days, her conversation with her roommates having calmed her nerves. But she could not deny that she was still scared, it was obvious to everyone who looked at her and Bridgette knew that fear wouldn't truly go away until she knew McLean wasn't a threat. The only question was how to prove he wasn't a threat and unfortunately Bridgette had no answer to that question, as usual.

Bridgette sighed and laid her book on the table, no longer interested in reading. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples trying to dull the hammering pain in her head. Headaches had never been an issue for Bridgette until recently; she'd had one ever since the first dream. She supposed the relative lack of sleep she had gotten in the past few days was partially to blame for the headaches, but she had a sneaking suspicion there were other causes as well, like the fact that she was trying too hard to find answers about McLean. Whatever the reason was there was one thing Bridgette was sure of in regards to her headache; she knew she hated it. But try as she might she had, as yet, been unsuccessful in finding a remedy that helped for long. She knew her roommates were concerned about her but there wasn't much any of them could do, other than to lend her support and make sure she was comfortable. Bridgette hated being such a burden on her roommates as they had their own lives to live, but she knew no matter what she said they would continue to worry about her.

At that moment, as if Bridgette's thoughts had called out to them, Nikki, Gwen, and Izzy entered the house, followed by Owen, LeShawna, Marlowe, Wyatt, Jude, and Starr. Bridgette smiled at them, though she was surprised to see Jude and Starr, as they were not students at CSU. Her smile was weak and forced and her friends could tell that they had interrupted her in the middle of a brainstorm.

"Damn girl, you look like hell." LeShawna, ever the observant one, said, with a glance at Bridgette. "You feeling okay?"

Bridgette didn't immediately answer, instead choosing to glance at Nikki, Gwen, and Izzy, her gaze asking the one all important question; _do they know about the dream?_ Nikki shook her head and Bridgette turned her attention back to LeShawna.

"Yeah, I'm okay, for the most part." Bridgette said, with another weak smile. "Except for this damn persistent headache I've had for the last few days."

"Yeah you certainly look like there's something banging on the inside of your skull." said Owen, trying to sound casual and ultimately failing.

"It's not that bad." Bridgette lied. "I can still think and go to class and all that. It's more of an annoyance than anything else, you know?"

"That may be true, but you should still try and take it easy." said Starr, with a knowing smile. "I know what it's like to deal with stuff like this and you don't want to try and push yourself too much. It'll only make things worse."

Bridgette nodded and smiled. She had forgotten that Starr dealt with sickness more often than the rest of them due to the blood disorder she had been born with and it made Bridgette feel better to know that there was someone else who could relate to how she was currently feeling. Not that the others couldn't relate, they just didn't have the experience with physical pain that Starr and Bridgette did. Emotionally all of the girls could relate as they had all been victims of McLean's tyrannical pedophilia. But physically no one could relate to Bridgette more than Starr, specifically how Bridgette was feeling physically now, as though she had been drained of all her energy and was having her head split in two by an ax.

"Thanks for that Starr." Bridgette said. "I'll keep that in mind from now on."

"Glad I could help." Starr said, with a radiant smile that made Jude smile as well. It was no secret that the two of them loved one another and apparently that love had only deepened since the last time Bridgette had seen them.

"So what brings you two to Fort Columbus anyway?" Bridgette asked, glancing at Jude and Starr, who were now wrapped in a tight embrace.

"Well, we hadn't seen you guys in awhile and we both had the day off so we figured we come up and say hi." said Jude. "We tried to get Geoff to come along to, but he had to work. Sorry bra." He gave her a guilty smile and returned to kissing Starr.

"That's fine." Bridgette said. "He's coming up in a few days anyway, so it's no big deal."

"Wait, when was this plan made?" Izzy asked, glancing at Bridgette.

"A couple of days ago." Bridgette answered. "He called while I was on my way back from class and asked if he could come up and see us. I assume this isn't a problem, is it?"

"No, why would it be a problem?" Izzy said, her tone defensive.

"No reason, I was just checking." Bridgette said.

"Okay. It's fine with me." said Izzy, with a glance at Nikki and Gwen who both nodded to show that they had no problem with Geoff dropping in on them to spend some time with Bridgette. There was, of course, one potential problem with Geoff coming by for a visit, but Bridgette didn't think Shane would object to her spending some time with her actual boyfriend. True Geoff did not yet know about Bridgette's relationship with Shane but she was not worried about him finding out any time soon and Bridgette didn't particularly feel like thinking about that now.

"So, since you guys are all here, want to order some pizza or something?" she asked, glancing at her friends.

"Yes, pizza sounds great." Owen said, his tone excited.

"Sure, I could go for some pizza." said Wyatt, a bit more subdued than Owen.

The others all agreed to the proposition and Bridgette made the order. Once the pizza arrived she and her friends spent the rest of the evening hanging out and talking, blissfully ignorant of the approaching threat that was McLean.

* * *

><p>The next day, after class, Bridgette made her way to the library for a study session with Shane. She hadn't seen much of him outside of class in the past week and had wondered if he was avoiding her, but he didn't seem to be upset about anything. If anything he seemed to be happy they were studying together again. Or maybe it wasn't the fact that they were studying together that was making him happy, maybe it was simply the fact that they were together, regardless of what they were doing. Bridgette didn't really care, she was just glad he wasn't angry or irritated, as she had explained why she had been so reclusive recently. She was feeling better today than she had in awhile, her conversation with her friends the previous night having done a great deal to take her mind off her issues. She had woken that morning to find that her headache was finally gone, much to her delight and the day was going as smoothly as could be expected.<p>

"Well, I'm glad we're together studying again." Shane said, his voice drawing Bridgette out of her thoughts.

"Yeah, me too." she said, with a smile. "I was beginning to get tired of being cooped up all the time. But like I told you a few days ago I just needed some time to deal with whatever that shit was."

"And like I told you, it's okay." Shane said. "I totally understand and I'm glad you're feeling better. It wasn't the same to come to class and not have you there."

"Thanks Shane." Bridgette said. "It means a lot to hear you say that. I appreciate your concern and I'm grateful you gave me my space. But I don't really want to talk about this anymore, so let's get to studying, shall we?"

Shane nodded and pulled out his books, smiling as he did so. Bridgette returned his smile and pulled out her books as well. For the next two hours they poured over their work, soaking in as much information as they could, before Bridgette announced she had to go. After packing up her things and kissing Shane she headed home. She planned on watching some TV before working on the paper she had due in her other sociology class and she would stick to that plan no matter what.

Bridgette arrived home to find the house empty, which was not surprising as Nikki and Gwen were still in class and Izzy was studying with Owen. Or making out with him, either way it was fine with Bridgette, though she hoped they were getting a least a little studying done. After depositing her bag in her room Bridgette made her way to the kitchen to get a snack before flopping down on the couch and flipping on the TV. For several minutes she sat, flipping through the channels, searching for something interesting to watch. She finally settled on watching the news, deciding there was nothing better to watch at two in the afternoon. Several minutes later Bridgette's mind began to wander, the news quickly losing her attention and then something flashed on the screen that made Bridgette's blood freeze. There, on the screen, was a picture of the last man she wanted to see on the news, Chris McLean. But it wasn't the picture of McLean that had really captured Bridgette's attention, it was the caption that appeared below his picture which proclaimed him to be an escaped prisoner from Archer Federal Penitentiary.

"Oh fuck." Bridgette breathed, staring at the screen in disbelief. "No, God no. Please let this be another dream." She squeezed her eyes shut, wishing the image of McLean on the screen would disappear but it didn't. This wasn't a dream, this was real, McLean had escaped and Bridgette knew exactly what would happen next. But if that was the case, why hadn't it happened yet?

As if her unasked question had somehow reached out to the news anchor on the screen, the answer suddenly appeared on the screen. "Details are sketchy, but it appears McLean escaped two days ago." the news anchor was saying. "The public is warned that McLean is very dangerous and may be armed. Do not try and apprehend him on your own. If you see him contact your local police department and let them handle the matter. We will keep viewers informed as the situation develops."

With the anchor done speaking Bridgette turned the TV off only to stare at the blank screen with a look of utter terror. What the hell was she going to do? McLean had escaped two days ago, he could already be in Fort Columbus and she would have no idea. Why hadn't the news reported this sooner? How was she going to deal with this, what the hell was she supposed to do now? Bridgette could feel herself beginning to hyperventilate and she took two deep, calming breaths hoping to restore order to her suddenly chaotic mind. As she calmed her mind cleared and the answer appeared before her. She knew exactly what she had to do. She needed to call the Kings, Geoff, Duncan, and everyone else and warn them so they would be prepared for when McLean arrived.

Bridgette turned to get her phone when a sudden knock at the front door made her jump. She moved to the window and glanced outside to see a man dressed like a plumber standing on the front porch. This confused her, why was a plumber at the house? She and her roommates didn't need any work done to the plumbing, did they? Regardless of whether they did or not Bridgette did not have time for this now so she moved to dismiss the plumber.

She opened the door and smiled at the man, which was pointless as his face was concealed beneath a battered baseball cap. "Excuse me sir." she said. "I think you have the wrong address. No one here called about any plumbing issues."

"No, this is the right place." the plumber said, his voice eerily familiar.

"No, I think you're mistaken." Bridgette said. "Like I said, no one at this address called about any plumbing issues."

"Well, I guess you need to get better at judging people then." the plumber said. "Because I'm not a plumber."

"Wait what?" Bridgette asked, now thoroughly confused. "If you aren't a plumber why are you dressed like one?"

"Because it's a disguise, a means for me to get close to you without you knowing it was me." With that the plumber looked up, revealing his identity to her.

Bridgette felt her breath catch in her throat, her eyes going wide with fear as the man standing before her was none other than Chris McLean and the look on his face was one of utter sadistic delight.

"Hello Miss Wells, how are you this afternoon?" McLean said, with a twisted smile.

**A/N: That's right, he's back. McLean has made his triumphant return to the real world and now hell is going to be unleashed. Well, not quite, but we're almost there. So get ready people, the shit is about to hit the fan.**


	12. The Return of the Nightmare

Bridgette stood, frozen in terror, staring in disbelief at the horror before her. How had McLean escaped from prison? How had known where to find her? What was he going to do to her now that he was here? As these questions chased one another through her mind she felt a powerful urge to scream. But who would hear her? Her roommates were all in class and there was no one else within earshot so even if she did scream no one would help her. She was all alone, trapped in her house by the sadistic pervert she had helped put in prison, completely at his mercy and unable to defend herself, as she was still frozen in fear.

"Well Bridgette, aren't you going to answer my question?" McLean asked, the mocking tone of his voice bringing her out of her mind. He was still smiling that sadistic smile of his and Bridgette felt a sudden, powerful urge to hit him. But fear held her back and she made no move to attack. She didn't answer his question either, which seemed to anger him.

"Come on Bridgette, don't go silent on me now." McLean sneered. "You were so talkative when you were standing before the court condemning me to life in prison. What happened? Did you lose your nerve in the five months I've been gone?"

Still Bridgette refused to answer him. But she did meet his gaze, her look defiant, as though she was daring him to act.

"Damn it, answer my fucking question you sniveling little bitch." McLean shouted, smacking Bridgette across the face as he spoke.

Bridgette felt herself reel from the impact of his blow. She stumbled back into the house, her hands reaching out to brace her against the floor. As she shook off McLean's blow she saw the flash of sunlight glinting off metal as he drew the knife and before she could react he was on top of her, the knife pressed against her throat.

Bridgette struggled against his weight, but he had her pinned to the floor and she did not have the strength to push him off. "Oh no Bridgette, you're not going anywhere." he said, his breath hot against her neck. "Now, why don't you answer my question?"

"Go to hell." Bridgette snarled, her teeth clenched as she tried to summon the strength to escape his grasp.

"That's not the answer I was looking for." McLean said, the blade of his knife digging into the side of her neck. "Now, for the last time, tell me how you've been or I swear to God I will bleed you like a stuck pig."

"You do that and you'll never get your answers." Bridgette spat, putting as much venom as she could muster into her voice.

"Well, I guess you've got a point there." McLean said, relaxing his hold on her. "I can't deny that if I kill you I won't get my answers. But somehow I don't think I'll care." He paused and grinned before continuing with his thoughts. "Still, I guess I can give you-" His sentence was cut short by Bridgette's fist connecting with his face. McLean staggered backwards, crashing into the still open front door and Bridgette got to her feet, ready to strike again.

"You bitch." McLean breathed, wiping blood from his nose. "You hit me. You fucking hit me." He seemed unable to fully process this fact and Bridgette was forced to wonder just how much of his mind he had lost during his five months in prison.

She pushed the thought away and smiled at him, her smile full of triumph. "You shouldn't have relaxed your hold on me." she said, her tone as smug as she would allow it to be. "Now, why don't you answer my questions, how's that sound?"

McLean didn't answer instead choosing to collect himself. Then, without warning, he sprang to his feet and lunged at Bridgette, the blunt end of the knife's hilt connecting with her forehead, knocking her to the floor. McLean grabbed her by the hair and drug her into the living room, where he tossed her onto the couch. "You stupid bitch." he said. "You think one little punch is gonna stop me? You think I don't have a plan for how to deal with you? I always have a plan. I always know how to deal with my enemies, so don't try anything else okay? There's nothing you can do, I've already won."

Dazed though she was from the blow to her head, Bridgette caught every word McLean spoke and felt her chest constrict with fear again as the words sunk in. McLean was right, of course. He had already won, the fact that he had escaped from a maximum security prison proved that, and there was nothing Bridgette could do but accept the inevitable. But even if she was going to die she would at least get some answers first.

"What do you want from me?" she asked, her voice choked with emotion.

"Isn't it obvious?" McLean asked, his voice devoid of all mockery now.

Bridgette shook her head. Truthfully she could guess why he was here, but she wanted to hear him say it. She wanted him to have to face what he was planning to do before he did it.

McLean sighed and then answered the question. "I want you to suffer." he said. "I want you to know what true pain is. I want to watch you bleed and die at my hands so you can know what kind of hell I've been through."

"What do you mean you've been through hell?" Bridgette asked, hoping to buy some time.

"Are you really that stupid?" McLean spat, his anger returning now. "You ruined my life Bridgette. You and your little friends. You took away everything I had and condemned me to a life in prison all for nothing. All because I was trying to have a little fun."

"A little fun?" Bridgette asked, her tone incredulous. "You were sexually assaulting teenage girls. You were coercing teenage girls into having sex with you and then filming it. You raped me and tried to kill me. How was any of that supposed to be fun?"

"Don't kid yourself Bridgette." McLean said. "I did those things because it's what you girls wanted. Heather, Lindsey, Jen, they came to me willingly. And you and Nikki and Gwen and all the others, they would have come willing as well, eventually. Eventually they would have seen that no one can resist me. You were able to fool the court into believing that I coerced you and that I acted against your will, but we both know you wanted it. I did you a favor, I gave you what Geoff and Duncan didn't have the balls to give you and you re-payed me by having me locked away like some kind of animal."

Bridgette was speechless following this tirade. She honestly didn't know what to say. How was she supposed to have an answer when McLean was so delusional? Did he honestly believe he had been doing her or any of the others a favor by sexually assaulting them? She could see in his eyes that he did and that sight brought her out of her shocked disbelief.

"We condemned you because you deserved it." she said, her tone pitiless. "You weren't doing us any favors. That's just your excuse to justify the horrible things you did. You're a pervert and a pedophile and you got what you deserved."

"Did I Bridgette?" McLean asked. "Did I really deserve to be locked away in a maximum security prison full of murderers, gangsters, thugs, and drug addicts for the rest of my life? Is that really the punishment that should be dealt out to someone like me, who was just trying to have some fun?"

"Yes, it is." Bridgette answered. "You raped me McLean and you would have done the same to the others eventually. We have to live with scars of the horrors you put us through and those scars will never fully heal, especially mine. So yes, you got exactly what you deserved."

"Well, then we have nothing left to discuss." McLean said, with a grin. "I was hoping to convince you to see things from my perspective, but it's obvious you won't so I guess I'll have to go with plan B."

"What's plan B?" Bridgette asked, though she could guess.

"It's the plan where you die." McLean answered, his smile turning sadistic again.

Bridgette felt her breath catch in her throat at his words. She had expected that this was his reason for coming here, but she had hoped he wouldn't go through with it. She had been wrong, of course, he had always intended to kill her and her hope had been a waste.

McLean drew the knife again and stared at her, licking his lips like a wolf about to devour his prey. He grinned again and pulled her closer so that his face was barely an inch from hers. He stared directly into her eyes and whispered, "I'll give you one last chance to see things my way. Do it Bridgette, it could spare your life."

For a second she considered the possibility of giving in, but she quickly pushed the thought away. "No." she breathed. "No. I will never concede that you did what you did as favor to me. I didn't want it and you know that. You're just a sick pedophile and you will never convince me otherwise."

"Have it your way then." McLean said, with a grin.

Bridgette felt him pull back and saw him aim the knife directly at her heart, just like in the dream. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the blow she knew was coming. But the blow never came. After several seconds of waiting Bridgette opened her eyes to find that McLean had paused with the knife hovering less than an inch from her chest. He was smiling and Bridgette was sure that wasn't a good sign, but she was relieved he hadn't killed her.

"On second thought, I think we'll go with plan C." McLean said, answering Bridgette's unasked question about why he had stopped.

"What's plan C?" Bridgette asked, fear in her voice.

"Plan C is the plan where I go out and torture and kill everyone you hold dear while making you watch and then I kill you." McLean said, his grin especially sadistic this time.

"No, please God no." Bridgette pleaded, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks.

"Oh yes." McLean said. "This is the plan I'm going with. It's the best way for me to get my point across and it'll cause you the most pain. Watching your loved ones die, knowing your powerless to stop me, yeah that will be fun to watch." He paused and grinned at her palpable fear. "It'll be the ultimate payoff to watch you suffer like that. Great fun, don't you think?" He leaned in and kissed her then, just a quick peck on the lips, but a kiss nonetheless, just to show her that he was in charge.

"Please, don't do this." she begged. "Leave them alone, do whatever you want with me, but leave my friends and family alone."

"Oh Bridgette you know I can't do that." McLean said. "Not when watching you suffer will be so fun. I can't just let this opportunity pass me by. Besides, I've already done everything I want to with you. I already took your purity, so there's nothing left for me-" The sudden sound of a vehicle pulling up outside made him pause and glance at the door.

Bridgette glanced at the door as well and for a moment neither of them did anything. And then Bridgette screamed, hoping to alert whoever was outside that she was in danger. McLean shot her an angry look before taking off towards the back of the house. Seconds later Geoff burst inside, a look of terror and concern on his face.

"Bridgette, what's wrong?" he asked moving into the living room where Bridgette was still sitting on the couch crying. "Bridgette, what happened? Why are you crying?" Geoff moved to comfort her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close.

It was then that she noticed Nikki, Gwen, and Izzy were home as well and Owen was with them. "Bridgette, what happened?" Nikki asked, repeating Geoff's question.

Bridgette swallowed, taking a deep breath as she did trying to calm herself. It worked, a little bit anyway, and she managed to answer the question. "McLean." she said, her voice trembling. "McLean was here. He escaped from prison and he was here. He's come for us all."

Bridgette turned then and buried her face in Geoff's chest as she began sobbing, while her friends stood in shocked disbelief trying to process her words.

**A/N: Well there you go people. The bastard is back and he has a plan and I have a feeling most of you aren't gonna like it. But it's like I've always said, for a story to have stakes characters have to die or at least be put in situations where the possibility of death is very real. But don't worry, no one is going to die just yet. We have a couple more chapters to go before all hell is unleashed. And then, well, you'll just have to wait to find out what happens after that.**


	13. We're All Targets Now

"So McLean escaped from prison, payed you a visit, and now wants to kill us all, is that about right?" Wyatt asked, glancing at Bridgette, his voice thick with concern.

"Yes, that's right." Bridgette answered, her voice hoarse. It had been only an hour or two since her meeting with McLean and she was still in a state of shock. Geoff and her roommates had spent that time trying to comfort her while Owen had called Wyatt, Marlowe, and LeShawna, telling them to come over to Bridgette's house as soon as they could. They had arrived about a half hour earlier and were still trying to fully process everything Bridgette had told them. To be fair, Bridgette was still trying to process it herself and she could tell Geoff, Owen, and her roommates hadn't fully come to terms with this awful truth yet either. But Bridgette also realized they didn't have time to sit around in shock, trying to process the information, not when McLean was out there planning to kill them and could strike at any time.

"So, what are we going to do then?" Marlowe asked, glancing around the room. "We can't just sit here and wait for McLean to come back."

"Gee, really?" said Izzy, her tone sarcastic. "And here I was thinking that's exactly what we were going to do. Of course we can't just sit around and wait for McLean to return Marlowe, that would be the very definition of stupidity. You don't need to go stating things we all know to be true."

"Okay, sorry I said anything." Marlowe said, her tone cool.

"Marlowe does make a good point though." said LeShawna. "What are we going to do about this? Just because there's no reason to state it doesn't mean McLean won't come back. And if that's the case then we need to be ready."

"And what, exactly, do you propose we do LeShawna?" Geoff asked. "McLean is a rapist and a criminal who knows how to manipulate people. We're just a bunch of kids barely out of high school. How are we supposed to be able to stop him, especially when you consider that sending him to prison didn't really do a whole lot on that front?"

"What are you saying Geoff?" Nikki asked. "That we should just sit here and let him come back and kill us? Is that what you want? Are you willing to put Bridgette through the pain of watching that sick bastard kill you, the man she loves?"

"No, of course not." Geoff said. "But this is McLean we're talking about here. If he can escape from a maximum security prison and make it to Fort Columbus undetected what makes any of you think we can stop him? What makes any of you think he can't just come back here and kill us even if we had years to prepare?"

"So we're just supposed to give up and let him have his way?" Nikki asked. "Cuz I don't know about you Geoff, but I'd rather not do that. I'd rather take him out before he has a chance to come back and get us."

"I don't think he's coming back." Bridgette said, speaking for the first time since answering Wyatt's question. "At least not right away anyway." She could feel her friend's eyes on her as she spoke and knew they were wondering how she was dealing with this, but she felt it necessary to voice her thoughts on the subject.

"What makes you say that?" Gwen asked, glancing at Bridgette with concern.

"It's just what he said to me before you guys got here." Bridgette said, not quite meeting Gwen's gaze. "McLean said he wanted to kill all of the people I care about to punish me, but I don't think he'll start here in Fort Columbus, not when he knows there are so many of us here to watch out for one another."

"So you think he'll start somewhere else then?" Owen asked, also glancing at Bridgette with concern.

"Yes." Bridgette said. "Though I don't know where. There's any number of places he could go. He could go back to Hayward first, which means he'd target Cody, Sierra, and Zeke. There's Thurmond, which means he'd be going after Lindsey, Caitlin, Katie, and Sadie. There's Mount Royal, which means Trent, Jen, Courtney, D.J., and Beth. There's Hallsley, which means Heather, Justin, Tyler, and Alejandro. And then there's Jude, Starr, Eva, Duncan, Jonesy, Tricia, and Chrissy who are still in town, at various jobs. Oh, and the Gangbusters, especially Alyssa. So he could be going after anyone and we'd have no way of knowing who."

"You really think he's going to go after all of them?" Izzy asked.

"Yes." Bridgette answered. "He said he wanted to make me suffer and the best way to do that is to kill everyone I care about. One way or another, we're all targets now."

"But even the Busters?" Owen asked. "Why would McLean go after them?"

"Because Alyssa was part of the suit against him and she's a member of the band." Geoff said, answering for Bridgette who had lapsed back into stunned silence. "And he'd target the band because they supported her. It's the same reason why he'll target us Owen. You, me, Duncan, Trent, all of the guys are targets too because we supported the girls in their case against McLean."

"Bet you wish you hadn't done that now, huh?" said Izzy, with a small smile.

"No." Geoff said, glancing around the room. "I don't regret supporting you and I'd do it again if I had to. None of us knew this was going to happen and me and the other guys wanted to see McLean punished just as much as you girls did. And if that means we have to face the threat of death then so be it."

"I'd like to point out that some of us guys wanted to see McLean punished even more than the girls did." said Wyatt. "To know that a sick bastard like McLean tried to coerce sex out of my girlfriend is bad enough, but to know that he actually succeeded at it with other girls is something I will never forget and I agree with Geoff. We did the right thing by supporting the girls in their case and we will face the consequences of that decision if that's what it takes to rid this world of McLean."

"Well said Wyatt." said LeShawna. "But that still doesn't answer the question of what we're going to do to stop him. And if Bridgette is right and he is going after the others first then we have even less time then we thought. So what are we going to do?"

"The Kings." said Bridgette. "We have to call the Kings and let them know McLean is out. They can help us and they will. The Kings know things about McLean that no one else does and they will know how to stop him."

"Okay, I agree, but I think we need to get Duncan in on this as well." said Gwen. "Duncan is tight with the Kings and we all know he'll do anything to help Bridgette."

"Agreed." said Geoff. "But before we do all that we need to get the word out to everyone. Warn them that McLean is on the loose so they won't be caught off guard when he comes for them."

"But won't they all see this on the news?" Owen asked. "I mean, that's how Bridgette found out, isn't it?"

"Yes, that's true." Geoff conceded. "But we can't count on that. We don't know how many of the others actually watch the news and even if they do, they might not watch it often enough to be warned in time."

Owen nodded to show he understood Geoff's point. It would not be easy, but they would warn the others themselves just to be sure that everyone got the message that McLean was on the loose and was out to kill them all. That was the plan and Bridgette prayed it worked because if it didn't McLean was sure to follow through with his sinister promise.

"So, let's call the Kings already." said Izzy, her tone impatient.

Bridgette nodded and picked up her phone. She cycled through her contacts until she found Chef's number and hit send. Seconds later Chef answered on the third ring.

"Hello." Chef's gravely voice asked. "Who is this?"

"Chef, it's Bridgette." Bridgette said. "Could you please get Ron and Coach, and head up to Fort Columbus? We have something important to discuss."

She heard Chef's sigh and for a moment she thought he was going to say no but then he spoke. "Yes, we'll be there in the morning Miss Wells." he said.

"Thank you Chef, and please bring Duncan as well." Bridgette said, relief washing over her in torrents.

"Will do. See you tomorrow." said Chef. He hung up and Bridgette turned back to the others, who were all looking at her with expectant looks.

"Well what did he say?" Nikki asked, her tone impatient as well.

"He said they'll be here tomorrow and they'll bring Duncan." Bridgette said, feeling a sense of calm settle in her chest. Nikki nodded and the others breathed a collective sigh of relief. It had been a horrible day, one they all wished they could forget but somehow knowing that the Kings and Duncan were coming to help made them all feel better, if only for a little while.

**A/N: And so it begins, almost. McLean is out, the Kings now know, and a plan has been set in motion to hopefully stop him. But how that plan plays out remains to be seen, so keep reading to find out who lives and who dies. Also, I realize I left Harold, Noah, Darth, and Julie out when Bridgette was listing off all the other people who are in danger, but don't worry, I didn't forget about them. Noah is at Harvard and the other three are on an internship at a big tech company, and they are all targets as well. **


	14. How to Stop a Murderer

"Well, this won't be easy, but I think I have a plan for how to deal with McLean." said Chef, glancing around the room.

Bridgette nodded, feeling reassured by Chef's presence. It had now been twenty four hours since McLean had threatened her and she and her friends were still in the process of figuring out how to stop him from enacting his plan. The Kings had arrived that afternoon and they were not alone. As promised, Duncan had come with them, but he was not the only one. Jude, Starr, Eva, Shane, and Dr. McLellen had come as well and though Bridgette could understand why Jude, Starr, and Eva had come she was still trying to figure out why Shane and Dr. McLellen were there. It seemed she wasn't the only one who was wondering this as her roommates kept throwing her questioning glances and Duncan wore an irritated look on his face.

"Okay, so let's hear this plan of yours." said Geoff, with a glance at Chef.

"I'd like to know one thing first." said Duncan, speaking before Chef had a chance to open his mouth.

"And what would that be Duncan?" Ron asked, his gaze darting between Duncan and Chef, who looked rather displeased at being interrupted.

"I'd like to know why the professor and his little lackey are here." Duncan said, his voice thick with contempt.

"Okay, first of all Shane is not my lackey." said Dr. McLellen. "And second, we're here because we can offer insight into the man you all refer to as McLean. Insight that could prove helpful in stopping him."

Duncan simply blinked, as though Dr. McLellen's words had not sunk in. He was not the only one who looked taken aback by the professor's words. Bridgette, Nikki, Gwen, and Izzy all wore looks of surprise as well, as did many of the others. In fact only the Kings seemed to be unsurprised by Dr. McLellen's words, which only further confused Bridgette as she thought she knew the Kings and Dr. McLellen better than that.

"Okay, is there something you're not telling us?" she asked, glancing from the Kings, to Dr. McLellen, to Shane. "Because if there is you all need to spill, now."

"You're right, there is something we've been keeping from you, but I suppose there is no reason to keep it a secret any longer." said Chef, his look intense. "We, that is to say Ron, Coach, and I have known Dr. McLellen for quite some time, about as long as we've known McLean in fact. He was a friend of ours back when we were your age, as was McLean. That is why we are so dedicated to helping you, because we've always known what kind of person McLean is."

"Wait, wait, hold up a second." said Izzy. "You're telling us you were childhood friends with that sick bastard? Why the fuck didn't you tell us that sooner?"

"Language Miss Sharpe." Ron scolded. "And we didn't tell you sooner for reasons that are ours and ours alone."

"Ron." said Dr. McLellen. "Now is not the time to be so secretive. They have a right to know the truth." Ron sighed and nodded, and Dr. McLellen continued. "Okay so, the truth is, Chris McLean is my brother, well half brother technically, but that's not the point. The point is I know him better than anyone here and I wish to see him returned to prison. That is why I am here, to offer my aid so that you might have a better chance of sending Chris back to prison."

For a moment no one spoke as they all tried to process what Dr. McLellen had just told them. Could it really be true? Was the good professor really McLean's half brother? And if it was true, why had he and the Kings kept it a secret for so long? These questions chased one another through Bridgette's mind and she was forced, for the first time, to question whether or not she could trust the Kings. But as soon as the question entered her mind she saw the answer in their eyes. They had kept this a secret to protect her and the others and in that moment she knew she could trust them no matter what. But Bridgette could tell the others weren't so certain. Izzy, in particular, seemed to be very upset by this news and it was she who spoke next.

"So you're telling us that you're related by blood to a sick bastard who tried to seduce most of us and raped Bridgette, is that about right?" she asked, her whole body trembling with suppressed rage. Dr. McLellen nodded, not meeting Izzy's burning gaze. "And you expect us to trust you after springing something like that on us? Well fuck that. I don't trust you now and I never will."

"Izzy, calm down." said Bridgette, shooting her roommate a warning glance. "I'm sure they had a good reason for keeping this a secret from us, so just let it go, okay? We have more important things to deal with right now."

Izzy looked like she wanted to hit Bridgette, but instead she chose to obey, clamping her mouth shut and casting a withering glare at Dr. McLellen and the Kings.

Once she was certain Izzy was calm Bridgette turned her attention back to the professor and the Kings. "There is a reason you kept this a secret, isn't there?" she asked, glancing at each of them in turn as she spoke.

"Yes, there is a reason." said Coach Halder. "And that reason was to keep you safe. We weren't certain McLean would escape, though some of us suspected he would, and we wanted to be sure that if he did he wouldn't have a means to get to you through us. That's why Dr. McLellen didn't tel you anything. He was keeping watch over you in secret so as to avoid raising suspicions."

Bridgette nodded, content with the explanation, though she could tell some of the others still weren't quite as content with it as she was.

"Okay, that's all well and good, but it still doesn't explain why the fucking teacher's aid is here." said Duncan, with a cold glance at Shane.

"Shane is here because he knows things about McLean as well." said Chef. "And you will treat him with respect Duncan or you will be pulled from this mission."

Duncan opened his mouth to protest, but a warning glance from Bridgette shut him up. He cast another dark look in Shane's direction before walking out of the house. Bridgette did not move to stop him, for she knew he wasn't going far. Despite his dislike of Shane Duncan wasn't going to turn his back on her, not when the threat was McLean.

"Well, now that all those secrets are out in the open can we please get back to real reason we're all here?" Eva asked, after a moment of silence.

"Yes." said Bridgette. "As you all know, we are her today to figure out how to stop a murderer before he can murder anyone."

"And as I said, I think I have a plan for that." said Chef, with another glance around the room. "As I said, it won't be easy, but I think if we can figure out where he might strike first we can get the jump on him."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Nikki asked, her tone skeptical.

"Well, you all compiled a list of where everyone is, correct?" Chef asked.

"Yes, but how is that going to help?" Nikki asked. "That list includes three colleges besides this one, a high school, and God knows how many other locations. I mean, just because Jonesy said he was staying in town doesn't mean he will and the same goes for Tricia and Chrissy. Jude, Starr, Eva, and Duncan are here, but we have no way of knowing who he'll go after first."

"It comes down to statistics." said Shane. "Probability actually, but you get the point right? Anyway, figuring out who McLean will go after first is a simple matter of figuring out who he wants to hurt most."

"Well that's just fucking great." said Gwen, her tone sarcastic. "We all know the person he wants to hurt most is Bridgette. That's why he's after all of us. Great plan, genius."

Shane looked irritated, but did not retort. Instead he simply gave Gwen a polite smile and continued. "What I meant was, who would McLean want to hurt most besides Bridgette?"

"I can think of a few people that could fit that profile dude." said Jude. "But if I had to choose just one I'd say Heather."

"Why Heather?" Gwen asked, with a surprised glance at Jude.

"It's simple really." said Jude. "Heather's the one who willingly allowed McLean to have sex with her and then she turned around and joined the suit against him. If I was McLean I'd be a little pissed off about that, you know what I mean bra?"

"Wow Jude, that actually makes sense." said Wyatt, with an impressed smile.

"Hey, I have my moments dude." said Jude, with a grin.

"Okay, do you all agree with Jude's theory?" Dr. McLellen asked.

"It makes sense to me." said Nikki. "My cousin did willingly give herself to McLean and then turned on him, so I can see why he'd be pissed at her."

"Okay, well, that's good enough for me." said Owen. "If Nikki thinks Heather's the first target then I have to agree with her. I mean, they're not exactly close, so for Nikki to show concern for Heather makes me inclined to think McLean would target Heather first." Izzy, Geoff, Starr, LeShawna, Marlowe, Eva, and Wyatt all nodded in agreement.

But Bridgette and Gwen remained unconvinced. It was true that Heather had given herself willingly to McLean and then turned on him but so had Lindsey, Jen, Tricia, and others.

"I don't know guys, Heather's not the only one who did that." said Bridgette. "What about Jen? And Lindsey? They also willingly had sex with him, so shouldn't we consider them as possible first targets too?" Gwen nodded in agreement and Nikki sighed.

"Okay, you've got a point there Bridgette." she conceded. "But we can't focus on everyone at once."

"Sure we can." said Shane. "You mentioned earlier that you were going to call all your friends who aren't here and warn them anyway, so why not just double the effort with Heather, Jen, Lindsey and anyone else who willingly had sex with McLean."

"Okay, I guess that makes sense." said Nikki. "Let's do that then."

Everyone else nodded in agreement and Bridgette quickly ran through the plan one more time. "Okay, so the plan is to focus on Heather, Jen, Lindsey, and the other girls who willingly slept with McLean and make sure they're warned first, is that right?"

"Right." said Nikki, with a reassuring smile. "In the meantime we should work on a plan of action just in case we're unable to get a hold of any of them."

The others agreed and they set to work on that plan. Bridgette listened and made comments but her mind was elsewhere. She was worried their current plan wouldn't be good enough, but at least it was a plan and that was better than nothing. But what none of them knew was that McLean was already one step ahead of them.

**A/N: Yeah, that's right. McLean is already on the hunt, so be prepared, because people are going to die. Also, yes, I did make McLean and Dr. McLellen brothers and there is a reason for that, which will be explained later. Finally, just so you're all aware, when I say characters are going to die, I mean it and I do not want to hear any complaining about it. So please, when people start dropping, don't whine and don't criticize. Just accept that this is a story and for it to have stakes characters must die, because if you don't it'll just make things unpleasant for everyone else. Thanks.**


	15. The First Killing

As Bridgette and her friends set about putting their plan into action, McLean was already on the hunt. He had not know for sure who he would go after first when he had first left Bridgette's house, but he had made up his mind by now. He knew exactly who he was going to kill first and the revelation would shock Bridgette, as he doubted she would consider this individual to be a primary target. McLean knew he was taking a calculated risk by making that assumption, as it was quite possible Bridgette would consider all options, but McLean was confident that he wasn't underestimating her. Still, he wasn't about to charge in and kill anyone without having a solid plan first. That was what McLean did best, after all. Making plans had always been his strong suit and he had used this ability to his advantage many times throughout his life. Having a solid plan was how he had been able to commit all the acts that had landed him in prison and a solid plan had also allowed him to escape prison. And his current plan would allow him to have his revenge, as long as he didn't underestimate any of his enemies, a task that would not be easy given that those enemies included Duncan and the Kings. But McLean was confident and so he would wait until the time was right before making his move.

* * *

><p>While McLean waited, Bridgette worried. She worried that something would go wrong with the plan and McLean would slip through the cracks. She worried that McLean's promise would become a reality. She worried that she would be the only one left standing when this was all said and done. She worried that she was wrong, that maybe she should have accepted McLean's offer to see things from his perspective, that maybe if she had none of this would be happening. Maybe if she and the others hadn't brought their case against McLean they wouldn't have to deal with all this shit and they would have been able to just enjoy their lives. But even as she worried about these things Bridgette knew she and her friends had made the right decision. And even if, for some extremely fucked up reason, they hadn't she couldn't tell the others that. She couldn't justify trying to explain that if they had just left things alone and allowed McLean to have his fun then maybe they wouldn't be in this situation. She couldn't justify it because no matter how many times she argued the point with herself she couldn't come up with a good excuse, because there wasn't an excuse. There was no way to justify McLean's actions. He was a pedophile and a pervert, who had gotten what he deserved and now Bridgette and her friends were faced with prospect of dealing with his anger at that. But they would deal with it, no matter how hard it was, they would deal with it because right or wrong they had no choice and it was the right thing to do.<p>

"Damn Blondy, you look like hell." said Duncan, his voice bringing Bridgette out of her thoughts. She looked at him and smiled, trying to convey confidence. They were sitting on the front porch of Bridgette's house, taking a break from the brainstorming session that was still going on in the house. Duncan was looking at her with concern, a look she was getting sick of, and his hand kept twitching like he wanted desperately to take hold of her hand and never let her go.

"Don't look at me like that." she said, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice.

"Look at you like what?" Duncan asked, his look shifting to one of mild interest.

"Like I'm some fragile doll who needs to be sheltered from the world." Bridgette said, unable to keep herself from sounding irritated this time. "You all do it. You all look at me with so much concern, like you're afraid I can't handle any of this."

"We only do that because we are concerned Blondy." said Duncan. "You've been through hell with McLean and none of us want to see you suffer any more, especially me."

Bridgette felt her heart constrict at these words. It had been months since Duncan had admitted his feelings for her and she had begun to wonder if he still loved her. But he obviously did and Bridgette could understand why. She had been the one who had changed his life, who had given him hope that he could be more than just a delinquent and a thug. It was unlikely that Duncan would ever forget that or that he would ever stop loving her, and now that she thought about it, she would always love him as well, though she knew she couldn't give in to those feelings anymore. She looked at Duncan and saw that he was looking at her with that look on longing, as though he wanted nothing more than to kiss her and fade into bliss. He moved towards her, leaning in for a kiss, but she moved away from him.

"Duncan, we can't." she said, seeing the look of frustration that passed over his face. "We can't, not again, and you know that. I'm with Geoff now and that will never change."

"Then why are you sneaking around with the teacher's aid?" he asked, his look incredulous.

"How do you know about that?" she asked, her breath catching in her chest.

"Oh come on Bridgette." he said, rolling his eyes. "I saw you with him the last time I was here and it's obvious something is going on between you two. Also, Gwen told me, seemed to think I needed to know for some fucking reason."

"Oh she did, did she?" Bridgette said, her tone dark. "Well I guess I'm gonna need to have a chat with Gwen about who she tells things to. And you need to stop worrying about me and Shane and focus on stopping McLean."

"No, I think I should tell Geoff." said Duncan, a wicked smile spreading across his face.

"Tell me what?" Geoff said, from the doorway. He was looking at them with a mixture of surprise and suspicion.

"Nothing." Bridgette said, casting a dark look at Duncan. "It's nothing."

"Okay, whatever you say babe." said Geoff, though he still looked mildly suspicious. "Look, can you two come back inside for a minute? We finally have more of a plan and we could use your input."

"Sure babe." said Bridgette. "We'll be in in a minute." Geoff nodded and headed back inside, while Bridgette turned to glare at Duncan. "Keep your damn mouth shut about me and Shane." she snapped, her tone deadly. "We do not have time to go starting internal conflicts, not when McLean is still out there, understand?"

Duncan nodded, and he and Bridgette headed inside where the others were gathered, waiting for their arrival.

* * *

><p>At that same moment, some two hundred miles away, McLean was preparing to make his move. He had staked out his target's apartment and was simply waiting for her to return home. Finally, after what seemed like days, she appeared, walking briskly towards the apartment complex. It was dark out and McLean used this to his advantage, moving silently from his hiding place towards his target. Suddenly his target froze, as if she sensed that she was being followed.<p>

"Hello?" she asked, glancing around the parking lot. "Who's there?"

At that moment McLean stepped into a pool of light cast by one of the street lamps, his mouth twisting into a sadistic smile at the look of terror on his target's face.

"Oh God, it's you." she whispered. "Bridgette said you'd escaped but I didn't believe it."

"Do you believe it now?" McLean asked, his tone mocking, as he took a step forward, drawing a large knife. He saw her eyes widen and then he was on her, the knife plunging into her gut. He heard her gasp in pain and then he yanked the knife out, before plunging it into her gut again. Six more time he repeated this action, feeling his pulse quicken with excitement at the feel of her blood splattered across the front of his shirt. He felt her body go limp in his arms and laid her gently on pavement. He could see that she was still alive, her breath coming in short, rattling gasps as blood filled her lungs. He looked into her eyes and smiled, reveling in the fact that he had done it, he had actually done it. He had taken a life and he had never felt so alive in his life, it was even more of a rush then when he had raped Bridgette. He heard her gasp and looked at her again, his eyes meeting hers as they began to go dark.

"Why?" she gasped. "Why did...why did you do this to me? What did I...What...I...hope you burn for this. I hope you-" Her voice choked off abruptly as as he drove the knife into her one last time, this time puncturing her heart. Her eyes went dark and she took one last shuddering breath before relaxing into death.

"Because I can, that's why." McLean said, staring into her blank, dead eyes. "And because you deserve it Miss Masterson. Because you deserve it."

* * *

><p>The next morning Bridgette awoke to find Geoff lying beside her. She smiled and rolled out of bed before making her way to the bathroom. It was nice having Geoff in the house, as she had to admit she had missed him greatly during their time apart. There was something distinctly gratifying about waking up next to the person you loved, though Bridgette couldn't quite put her finger on what that something was. As she thought about this her mind drifted back to the day they had first met and how taken she had been with him. It had been her very first day at Hayward, in the hallway after her first class. She had just met Nikki, Gwen, and Jude and was being introduced to some of the others, including Owen and Izzy, when she had first laid eyes on Geoff. She remembered think he was beautiful, remembered that for a moment the noise in the hall had dulled and it had seemed like they were the only two people on earth. He was still beautiful and there were times when she still felt like they were alone in the world, but it was difficult for that feeling to remain, especially now with McLean on the loose.<p>

The sudden crash of a glass hitting the floor downstairs, followed by a horrible scream jolted Bridgette out of her mind. She burst out into the hallway, where she nearly ran into Geoff, who had just emerged from her bedroom. Izzy and Gwen were in the hallway as well and Owen was emerging from Izzy's room, his hair tousled and his eyes droopy as though he had just woken up.

"What the hell was that?" Gwen asked, staring at Bridgette.

"It sounded like Nikki." Bridgette answered. "Though what she's screaming about is anyone's guess."

"Maybe it's McLean." Izzy said, moving towards the stairs, her body trembling.

"No, it's not McLean." said Bridgette, moving to follow Izzy.

"How do you know?" Geoff asked, staring at his girlfriend with some skepticism.

"Because if it was McLean Nikki wouldn't have had a chance to scream." said Bridgette, her tone grim.

"Good point." said Geoff. "But something is wrong. Let's go find out what."

Bridgette nodded and they made their way downstairs, Izzy in the lead and Gwen and Owen bringing up the rear. Once they were downstairs they made their way to the kitchen where they found Nikki staring at the small TV that the girls had bought a few weeks earlier. She was shaking as though she was crying and Bridgette moved to comfort her.

"Nikki, what's wrong? What happened?" Bridgette asked, placing an arm around her friend's trembling shoulders.

"Look." Nikki gasped, between sobs, pointing at the TV.

Bridgette looked and the sight that greeted her made her breath catch in her chest. There on the screen was a picture of Jen and beneath the picture was caption that read, **University of Mount Royal student found dead.**

"Oh God, no." Bridgette breathed, reaching for the remote so she could turn up the volume. Once she had, the newscaster's voice cut through the silence in the room like a knife.

"The body of eighteen year old Jennifer Lyn Masterson was found at around 4:30 this morning in a wooded area about a mile from campus." the newscaster said. "There were no signs of sexual assault but Masterson had been stabbed multiple times. No witnesses have been questioned and police still do not have a suspect. We will keep you informed as this story develops."

Bridgette switched off the TV and turned towards the others who were all looking at her in shock. None of them seemed to be able to process what they had just seen, but one thing was clear; McLean had struck and Jen was dead. The plan had failed and somehow they all knew this was just the beginning.

**A/N: And so Jen is the first to die. She will not be the last, though you'll have to keep reading to find out who else is going to get axed. Also, as I said in my last author's note, I do not want to hear any whining or complaining about my decision to kill off Jen or any of the other characters I plan on killing off. I promise you all now that if you leave reviews calling me a "sick bastard" or an "asshole" or an other unkind names, or if you offer any other sort of personal feelings that are not helpful, I will block you from leaving further reviews. The point of reviews is not to call the author names or other petty BS like that. The point is to make constructive criticism of the author's work and name calling is not constructive. So I will block you if you do that. You have been warned.**


	16. A Dangerous Game

The silence in the kitchen seemed to last forever. No one moved, no one spoke, they all just stood there in shock, too overwhelmed to do anything else. Jen was dead and none of them seemed to know how to deal with it. Bridgette was keenly aware that they were wasting time just standing around like this, but she couldn't bring herself to break the silence. To break the silence, to speak about the horrible truth they had just learned would be to admit that Jen was gone and that admission would be more than any of them could bear. Bridgette hadn't been particularly close with Jen, in fact they had been enemies for most of the time they had known one another, but that had changed after Bridgette had been raped. Jen, like Heather, Courtney, Lindsey and so many others had supported Bridgette after that horrible event and Bridgette would be forever grateful for that. So to know that Jen had been killed by the same man who had raped her made Bridgette's blood boil, it made her want to find McLean and slit his throat. But there was more to it than that. Bridgette knew that Jen had been friends with Nikki for many years, and though they had been less than friendly to each other in recent years, Bridgette knew Nikki still considered Jen to be a friend. That much was obvious from Nikki's reaction to the news that Jen was dead. Bridgette felt a sense of overpowering loss rise in her chest, bringing with it more pain than she had ever experienced before. Even the soul crushing loneliness she had endured after the truth about her and Duncan had come out couldn't compare to the pain she felt now. And that pain was made even worse by the nagging feeling that was gnawing at the back of her mind, telling her that this was only the beginning and that things were going to get much worse.

At that moment the doorbell rang, cutting through the silence like an ax. Silently Bridgette made her way from the kitchen to the front door, opening it to find Duncan, Jude, Starr, Eva, Wyatt, Marlowe, LeShawna, the Kings, Shane, and Dr. McLellen standing on the front porch. All of them wore looks of sorrow and tears glistened in several pairs of eyes. Silently Bridgette motioned for them to come in before making her way back to the kitchen. The others followed her, LeShawna moving to hug Nikki once they were in the kitchen. Bridgette's gaze met Geoff's and he moved to embrace her, the tears finally beginning to fall, pouring down her cheeks in a torrent.

For the next hour no one spoke as they all mourned in silence and then Coach Halder spoke, his voice hoarse and hollow. "This is a sad day for all of us and I know we will all miss Jen greatly, but we must rise above our pain and press on so that no one else dies the way she did." he said. "Jen was a tremendous young woman and to not bring her justice would be doing her memory a great disservice."

A murmur of agreement passed around the room, though Bridgette was keenly aware of how serious Coach was about getting justice. Jen had been his favorite student and he had been her favorite teacher. Their relationship had been almost one of father and daughter and Bridgette could tell that this was very hard for him. And in that moment she resolved to bring McLean to justice, no matter how hard it was. She would see him burn or she would die trying.

"How are we supposed to bring Jen justice when it's obvious McLean is a step ahead of us?" Izzy asked, her voice bringing Bridgette back to reality. The look that passed over Coach Halder's face at this question was murderous and Bridgette quickly moved to diffuse the situation.

"It won't be easy Iz, but it can be done." Bridgette said, glancing at Coach as she spoke. "All we have to do is figure out his plan and we'll be set."

"Yeah, that's all good and whatever, but how do you propose we go about doing that?" Izzy asked. "It's not like he's just going to roll over and let us win."

"Izzy, what are you saying?" Gwen asked. "That we should give up? Is that what you're suggesting here?"

"No, of course not." said Izzy, her tone defensive. "All I'm asking is how we're going to get the jump on him when he seems to know all our moves before we can put them into action."

"So what, you think there's a spy amongst us or something?" Duncan asked.

"I don't know." Izzy answered. "Maybe. Don't you?"

"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about." Duncan said, his tone defensive now.

"Yeah right." Izzy muttered. "You're gonna try and convince us you're not suspicious of Shane? Cuz we can all see the way you look at him."

"I may dislike Shane, but that doesn't mean I think he's a spy." Duncan said, his eyes burning with rage.

"Okay, whatever Duncan. Say what you want but I can see the truth. It's written all over your face." Izzy said, her voice full of judgment. Duncan flinched like he was about to attack her, but a warning glance from Bridgette made him freeze.

"Duncan, don't." she said. "Now is not the time for infighting. Jen is dead, McLean is on the hunt, and we need to stop him, so both of you shut the fuck up and keep your personal shit to yourselves."

Duncan and Izzy both nodded, though both of them looked like they still wanted to fight. But Bridgette's steely gaze was more than enough to keep them both in line. With the two of them now calm Bridgette set about laying out her improvements for the plan, which included bringing the police in to help search for McLean. The others seemed to support her ideas and after some discussion they set about making her plan a reality.

* * *

><p>Several hours later, Bridgette sat on the edge of her bed, tears rolling silently down her cheeks. Her new plan had been well received by the others, but that was not the reason she was crying. She was crying because she had failed. She had failed to come up with this plan sooner and that failure had led to Jen's death. She knew she shouldn't blame herself for Jen's death, but she couldn't help it. She couldn't help thinking that if she had just gotten the police involved sooner Jen would still be alive. There was, of course, no way to know for certain and she still had doubts that getting the police involved now would succeed in preventing more deaths, but she had to try. At any rate, getting the police involved couldn't hurt, unless McLean had police officers who were helping him out, which wasn't outside the realm of possibility. This thought made Bridgette shudder, for if she and her friends couldn't trust the police then who else was there to help them? But she quickly pushed the thought away, as she was jumping to conclusions without having all the facts and until she had proof that McLean had police officers working for him Bridgette refused to believe that he did.<p>

At that moment Bridgette's phone rang, making her jump. She steadied herself before picking up her phone and flipping it open. "Hello?" she asked. "Who is this?"

"Hello Miss Wells, how are you today?" McLean's sickeningly familiar voice answered.

"McLean." Bridgette breathed, feeling her chest constrict.

"Yes, Miss Wells, it's me." McLean said. "I assume you saw the news this morning?"

"Yes." Bridgette answered, her voice trembling as she tried to keep the tears at bay.

"Well, what did you think?" McLean asked. "Did you admire my handiwork? Did you appreciate the fact that I kept my promise?"

Bridgette didn't answer. How could McLean ask her such questions? Wasn't it obvious how she felt? How could McLean think she would feel anything other than sorrow and revulsion to learn that Jen had been killed?

"Well Bridgette, what did you think?" McLean's voice asked again, slightly impatient this time. "Did you know it was going to be her?"

"No." Bridgette answered, honestly. "I thought you'd go after Heather first."

"Hmm, interesting." McLean said, as if he and Bridgette were discussing a book in class. "I must admit, I can see why you would have thought that, but I chose Jen because I knew killing her would get your attention quicker."

"What do you mean you knew it would get my attention quicker?" Bridgette asked, her tone incredulous.

She heard McLean chuckle and then he answered. "Oh Bridgette, isn't it obvious? I only killed Jen to prove that you can't win. But you can save your friends. All you have to do is see things from my perspective and I'll leave them alone. Admit that I did you a favor and I'll let them live."

Bridgette couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was McLean serious? Did he really expect her to believe that he would let the others live if she just admitted that he had done her a favor? Was he really that delusional? He had told her that his plan was to kill everyone she cared about, so why was he playing with her like this?

"I don't understand." she said. "You said you wanted to punish me, so why are you telling me this now?"

"Because I want you to admit the truth more." McLean answered. "It's a simple act Bridgette. All you have to do is admit the truth and I'll go away, I promise."

Bridgette considered his words for a moment. On the one hand it was a tempting offer, one that she could not deny she wanted to accept. But on the other hand it was more likely that this was a trick and that McLean was just playing with her in the hopes of weakening her resolve. She decide that this second option was the more likely and gave her answer.

"No, I will not admit that you did me any favors." she said, her tone venomous. "I told you that before and I stand by it."

"You may want to reconsider that decision." McLean said, his tone now cold.

"No, I don't think I do." Bridgette said, her tone firm and determined. "And here's something else for you to mull over in that diseased thing that passes for your mind, I'm going to the cops and they're going to drag your ass back to prison where you belong."

"That would be a very big mistake on your part Miss Wells." McLean said, his tone full of malice. "If you go to the police you will only be guaranteeing that more of your friends will die."

"I'll take that risk." Bridgette said, though her voice lacked the conviction it had held a moment ago. "I'll take it, because I don't think you have the balls to keep your promise."

"Oh really?" McLean asked. "Is that what you think? Well then, allow me to explain to you how this works, Miss Wells. You see, I am not afraid of the police and I am not afraid to go back to prison. I am also not afraid to die for what I believe in. So I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Do not test me Bridgette, for if you do you will find out just how little mercy I have. You are playing a very dangerous game with me Bridgette and you will lose."

"Says you." said Bridgette. "But I don't think I will. So go ahead, make your threats, but know that for every person you hurt you will receive that many more punishments in hell."

She heard McLean laugh and then he spit, "Have it your way than, Bridgette. Be a stubborn little bitch and continue to defy me. We shall see how that attitude plays out for you in the end." With that, he hung up and Bridgette felt her phone slip out of her hand, all her energy drained by her conversation with McLean. Seconds later she heard a knock on her door and it opened, revealing Geoff, who was looking at her with concern.

"Who were you talking to?" he asked, sitting beside her on the bed and wrapping his arms around her.

"McLean." Bridgette answered, ignoring his look of shock. "He wanted to know if I knew about Jen and then he asked me to admit the truth again. He told me that if I did he would leave the rest of you alone."

"What did you say?" Geoff asked, his look returning to one of concern.

"I told him no." said Bridgette. "I told him I wouldn't admit that he has ever done me any favors. And he told me that I was making a mistake, that he would keep his promise if I didn't go along with him. I told him about the police as well and he said that was an even bigger mistake. Geoff I think I messed up, I think I should have gone along with him."

"No, you made the right choice." Geoff said. "You got him to admit that he's just playing with us and we can use that to our advantage. So come on, let's go tell the others. I'm sure they'll be interested to hear about your conversation."

Bridgette nodded and followed Geoff downstairs, confident that he was right. But even as her confidence returned she felt the doubt creep in and she knew that McLean would keep his promise.

**A/N: Well, I'm back. Sorry there were no updates last week. I was in San Francisco and didn't have my computer with me. Anyway, I'm back now and the updates should come every other day from now on, unless I get writers block or some other unforeseen obstacle gets in my way. So yeah, no deaths this chapter, but McLean did make an attempt at "peace" though as you can probably guess that wasn't really a sincere gesture on his part. Anyway, things are going to get much more brutal in the coming days, so be prepared for that. Also, thank you all for not freaking out on for killing off Jen. **


	17. The Next Four to Die

"So that sick bastard called you and asked you to see things his way again?" Izzy asked, giving Bridgette an incredulous glance. "Is he really that stupid?"

"No, I don't think he is." Bridgette answered. "He said killing Jen was a test, a way for him to prove he was serious. So no, I don't think he's stupid, he simply miscalculated. He was hoping that killing Jen would convince me he was right, but all it did was make me hate him more."

Izzy smiled, seeming to like Bridgette's response. It had been only twenty minutes or so since she had spoken to McLean on the phone and in that time she had told the others everything. They now knew what McLean's plan was, that he had been testing Bridgette and that she had refused him, which they all seemed to think was a good thing. But Bridgette was not so convinced. She still couldn't shake the feeling that if she had just agreed to go along with him the first time none of this would have happened. If she had just given in to McLean when she had the chance Jen would still be alive and the others wouldn't be in danger. She had tried to explain this to the others but none of them seemed to want to hear it. They all remained convinced that Bridgette was not at fault, and though she appreciated their support, it still felt wrong to look at them and act like she wasn't to blame.

"Bridgette, stop that." Nikki said, sharply, glancing at Bridgette with an intense fury.

"Stop what?" Bridgette asked, with a surprised glance at her friend.

"Stop blaming yourself." Nikki said. "I can see it on your face right now. Inside your mind you're blaming yourself for all of this and that's just not right. It's not your fault, damn it. You didn't ask McLean to kill Jen and you certainly can't go along with his insane ideas. You made the right choice by denying him, so stop beating yourself up."

"I'm sorry, I can't help it." Bridgette said, with a guilty smile. "I know it's not my fault, but I can't seem to shake the feeling that it is, you know?"

"Hey, don't worry about it okay babe." said Geoff. "We all understand how hard this is, especially for you, but Nikki is right. You do need to stop blaming yourself all the time. It's just not healthy, you know?"

Bridgette nodded, though she was still not convinced she could stop blaming herself. She forced a smile and turned to the Kings, who had been silent since she had told them about the phone call from McLean. "So what do you three think?" she asked, looking at each of them in turn.

"About what, Miss Wells?" Ron asked, meeting her anxious gaze with his steely one.

"About McLean's call." Bridgette answered. "What do you think about his claim that he has nothing left to lose?"

"Well, it's a bold claim, though not an entirely inaccurate one." said Ron, with a glance at Chef and Coach.

"What does that mean though?" asked Gwen, who had also been silent since learning about the call from McLean.

"It means that McLean is not lying when he says he doesn't have anything to lose." Chef answered. "Or at least he thinks he's being honest. I am certain there is something in this world to which McLean is still attached, besides his own life, though what that thing might be I have no idea." For some reason Chef seemed to glance at Shane as he finished speaking, but it was such a quick movement that Bridgette was sure it hadn't actually happened.

"So shouldn't we try and figure out what that something might be?" Jude asked.

"And why would we do that, Mr. Lizowski?" Ron asked, with an incredulous look.

"Well, couldn't we, you know, use that to our advantage or whatever?" Jude asked, his look throughly confused.

"That is a good point Jude." said Dr. McLellen. "And perhaps it is something we should consider, but I think we should wait until tomorrow as it is getting late and we could all use some rest after what we learned today."

The Kings seemed to agree and they and Dr. McLellen left shortly thereafter. The others hung around a little longer, but within an hour or so LeShawna, Wyatt, Marlowe, Jude, Starr, and Shane had left as well, though Duncan and Eva remained, saying they would rather sleep on the couches instead of returning to their motel.

A short time later Bridgette made her way up to bed, where she was joined by Geoff. Nikki, Gwen, Izzy, Owen, Duncan, and Eva would remain awake for several more hours before they all finally crashed as well.

* * *

><p>The next morning Bridgette and Geoff made their way down for breakfast to find everyone else was already there. There was a feeling of sorrow in the room, like a weight sitting on top of everyone there. Bridgette could feel it as soon as she entered the room and she instantly knew something was wrong. "Guys?" she asked. "Guys, what's wrong?" No one answered and then Bridgette realized what had happened. "Oh God, not again." she breathed, feeling Geoff wrap his arms around her in case she fell.<p>

"Who is it this time?" Geoff asked, his voice sounding as though it was coming from somewhere far away.

Gwen turned and thrust a stack of photos onto the table in front of Bridgette and Geoff. Bridgette took one glance at them and felt her heart constrict. The pictures showed a mutilated corpse, shot from different angles and despite how badly mutilated the corpse was Bridgette could tell it was Harold. His throat had been slashed and his stomach had been cut open as well, so that his guts spilled out like giant worms. There were bruises all over his face, as though McLean had beaten him before making the kill. Despite the bruises, Harold's eyes were still partially open and Bridgette could see that they were bloodshot, as all the tiny veins had ruptured. It was a horrifying sight and Bridgette felt her stomach turn, nausea washing over her in a powerful wave. She managed to bite the bile back, at least until she saw the other pictures in the stack, which were of Jen's blood stained corpse. The sight of Jen's body, riddled with stab wounds, made Bridgette vomit all over the kitchen floor, though no one seemed to notice.

After collecting herself Bridgette looked back at the photos of Jen, tears stinging the backs of her eyes as she counted the stab wounds. There were nine of them, spaced throughout Jen's abdomen and chest, with one directly over her heart. Jen's eyes were still open as well, glassy and blank, their iridescent blue muted by the milky film of death.

"How...how is this possible?" Izzy asked, her hollow voice drawing Bridgette's attention away from the photos. "I mean Harold was at Goldwater Tech with Darth and Julie. Goldwater is four hundred miles away from Mount Royal. How the hell did McLean get there so fast, so soon after killing Jen?"

"I don't know Izzy." Bridgette answered. "He must have some secret way of moving around undetected, but I haven't got a clue what that might be."

"But why kill Harold?" Starr asked. "What did Harold ever do to McLean?"

"It's not what Harold did to McLean, it's what he did for us." said Nikki, her voice hollow just like Izzy's. "Harold supported us in our suit, just like Geoff, Owen, Jude, Wyatt, Jonesy, Trent, Duncan, and all the other guys did. It's retribution on McLean's part for them supporting us."

"Why send us pictures of their corpses though?" asked Wyatt. "What's the point of that?"

"There is no point to it Wyatt." Duncan snarled. "McLean is a sick bastard who thinks this is all just a game. He sent the pictures just to fuck with us, because his mind is diseased and he thought it would be funny or something."

Bridgette was about to agree with Duncan's assessment of McLean when she noticed something else with the pictures, a piece of paper stuck out from beneath the last picture of Jen. Bridgette picked it up, her hands shaking, and unfolded it. It was a note, written in McLean's hand and it said, _These are for you Bridgette. I just wanted you to see my handiwork for yourself and know that it is your fault they died like this. And rest assured, more will be coming._

"I don't think he sent the pictures just to fuck with us." she said, her voice drawing everyone else's attention.

"What makes you say that?" Duncan asked, his tone disbelieving.

"This." Bridgette said, handing him the note. Duncan took it and read it aloud, his hands shaking with rage when he finished.

"I am going to kill that sick bastard if it's the last thing I fucking do." Duncan snarled, his intense glare passing over the pictures of Harold and Jen before coming to rest on Bridgette's face. She held his gaze and knew that they were united in their hatred of McLean. But to charge after him would be foolish and they both knew it.

"What does McLean mean when he says 'more will be coming'?" Owen asked, casting a nervous glance around the room.

"He means more pictures, I assume." said Bridgette. "He said he would continue to kill and I think this is his way of letting us know that."

"Well whatever his reasons, we have to stop him before he kills anyone else." said Izzy.

"That's just thing Iz." said Bridgette, her tone sounding exhausted to her ears. "I don't think we can stop him, not unless he comes for us and I don't see that happening for quite some time." With that she turned and walked out of the room, ignoring Izzy's muttered protests and Geoff's comforting words. All she wanted to do was be alone for awhile while she tried to absorb the magnitude of the situation. McLean had a plan to break her down and it was working, and unfortunately it was about to get worse.

* * *

><p>Sometime late that night Bridgette awoke with a start. She glanced at the clock and saw that it read 4:35 AM. She glanced at Geoff, who was sleeping next to her, his breathing steady and slow. Shaking the urge to wake him, she slipped out of bed and made her way downstairs for a glass of water. She wasn't sure what had woken her, but she could have sworn she heard something outside just before she had woken up. After drinking her glass of water, she made her way back towards the stairs, pausing to glance out the window. It was then that she noticed a small cardboard box sitting on the porch. Curious, Bridgette eased open the door and stepped out onto the porch to retrieve the box. As she picked the box up she was struck with the overwhelming stench of fresh blood, which made her stomach turn. She bit back the bile and reentered the house where she took a moment to collect herself. Once she had regained her composure she moved to open the box, her hands trembling. She opened the box to find that it was full of rags which were stained with blood. As she peeled the rags back she saw the horror that the box contained. There, lying amongst the rags were more pictures of two more mutilated corpses and with the pictures were a pair of severed fingers, which belonged to the victims. Bridgette screamed, dropping the box and alerting the whole house.<p>

Seconds later Geoff came thundering down the stairs, followed by Nikki, Gwen, Izzy, and Owen. "Bridgette, what is it?" Geoff asked, his voice strained.

Bridgette shook her head and pointed at the box, which had disgorged its contents when she had dropped it. Nikki moved to the box, picking up the pictures, and recoiling at the sight of the severed fingers.

"Who is it?" Izzy asked, her voice trembling.

"It's Cody and Sierra." Nikki answered, her voice choked with emotion.

"Oh God." said Geoff, his tone disgusted. "They weren't even out of high school yet. I agree with Duncan now, we have to kill McLean."

Bridgette looked at him like he was crazy and moved to Nikki's side to get a better look at the pictures. These were even worse than those of Harold and Jen, as they not only depicted Cody and Sierra's corpses, but the torture session that had preceded their deaths as well. There was a particularly disturbing picture of Sierra screaming as McLean cut off her right ring finger, on which Sierra had worn a ring in the shape of a butterfly, which had been a gift from Cody. Many of the pictures showed Cody and Sierra strapped down to tables, with iron spikes impaling them through their wrists and ankles. As with Harold and Jen, Cody and Sierra still had their eyes open in death and Sierra's mouth was open as well, showing her bloody teeth. Both of them had died much the same way as Harold had, except Sierra seemed to have been tortured more before McLean had taken her life.

Bridgette turned away from the pictures, tears beginning to fall once again. It was too much, this game McLean was playing with her, it was simply too much for her to handle. She looked around the room and then bolted for the front door, Geoff catching her before she could get there. He pulled her close and just held her, the pulse of his heart beating against her chest slowly calming her until she faded into sleep.

* * *

><p>The next morning Bridgette awoke to find herself sitting on the couch with Geoff. Once again everyone else was gathered in the kitchen and it seemed the others had been told about Cody and Sierra. Duncan was fuming and the Kings looked disgusted. But the feelings that they were all feeling at that moment would be nothing compared to the feelings they were about to feel. As Bridgette and Geoff made their way into the kitchen, Nikki switched on the TV just as a news alert flashed across the screen. The alert was about a murder at Thurmond Women's College and the picture that flashed up next was of Caitlin Cooke, making the entire room groan. But it wasn't the news that Caitlin had been killed that shocked them the most, it was the news of how her body had been discovered.<p>

"...Miss Cooke's body was discovered in an irrigation ditch without a head." the newscaster was saying. "She was identified by her fingerprints and police are investigating possible connections between this murder and several others, including that of Jennifer Masterson."

Nikki switched off the TV just as the doorbell rang. Everyone turned towards the front door, but no one moved to open it. Finally Gwen stepped forward, moving to open the door. She did, finding a larger box sitting on the front porch. She picked it up and brought it inside, where she opened it. What Gwen found inside the box made her scream, bringing the others to her side, where they too saw the horror the box contained. Laying within the box was Caitlin's decapitated head, her brilliant green eyes still open, staring blankly at the horrified faces of her friends. Her mouth was agape, as though she had been screaming when her head had been severed from her body. Blood was splattered across her face and there was a gash below her right eye. There was a note contained within the box as well, along with a tape recorder.

Bridgette reached in and took the tape recorder, pressing play once she had it out of the box. The sounds that greeted her were spine chilling, as they were the sounds of first Cody and Sierra, and then Caitlin, being tortured before they were killed. Each of them let out a horrible scream to end the recordings, screams which ended abruptly and in Sierra's case with a horrible gurgling sound as she choked on her blood. Bridgette shut the recorder off and threw it aside, before picking up the note with trebling hands. The note read as such, _Well there you are Bridgette. A a few little presents to prove to you that you can't win. I have already won, but the slaughter is not over yet. No, the game is just beginning, so prepare yourself Bridgette, for it's about to get a whole lot worse._

Bridgette let the note slip from her numb hands, tears pouring silently down her cheeks. It was all true, everything McLean had promised had come true and now Bridgette and her friends were left to wonder only one thing, how could things possibly be worse than they already were? What malicious plan was McLean cooking up now? And how would they ever be able to stop him, when he was so many steps ahead?

**A/N: How will they be able to stop him indeed? It certainly seems like an uphill battle at the moment, doesn't it? But don't worry, McLean's upper hand will only last for so long. Unfortunately the amount of damage he'll be able to inflict during that time is going to be astounding. So yes, more characters will die. By the way, I just wanted to say I'm sorry if the descriptions of the deaths in this chapter were a little graphic, but the fic is rated M, so you kind of had to expect that, right? Also, just so you know Goldwater Tech, where Harold was, is a technology company, not a university. Harold had an internship there, along with Darth and Julie. Finally a little reminder, just in case you've forgotten, if you freak out on me in reviews for killing off characters I will block you. Thanks for understanding.**


	18. Eye of the Storm

Bridgette sat alone in her room staring blankly at the wall, her mind devoid of all thought. She was in shock, the events of the past few days having shaken her to her very core. All that McLean had promised was coming true and Bridgette knew that she was powerless to stop it. All of her efforts thus far had been in vain and she had all but completely given up hope that there was any chance of stopping McLean now. Seeing Caitlin's decapitated head in that box had effectively killed Bridgette's resolve. She was completely broken, all her emotions and plans shattered beyond repair. And she knew, somewhere in the recesses of her mind that this was it felt like to lose everything. The pain she had felt when she had been ostracized from her friends seemed trivial now by comparison. No pain in the world could hurt as bad as this pain, and yet Bridgette knew that was a lie. There was pain worse than this and the worst part was Bridgette knew she was going to encounter that pain as well, for McLean was not done and he would do whatever it took to break her.

A soft knock at her door drew Bridgette out of her depressing thoughts. She turned to see Geoff entering the room, a comforting smile crossing his face. Bridgette felt the urge to hit him wash over her, but she quickly pushed it aside. Still, she felt disgust that he was smiling at her at a time like this. Did he honestly think that a smile could make everything better? But even as the question passed through her mind she knew that answer. Of course Geoff would think a smile could make everything better, that was his way after all, to see the good in all situations. It was one of the many reasons she had fallen for him and she felt sick for being mad at him when he was just trying to comfort her.

"Hey Bridge." Geoff muttered, sitting beside her on the bed. "How're you doing?"

"Not good." Bridgette answered, not meeting his gaze.

"Well, we can't give up hope yet." Geoff said, his tone determined. "McLean may have the upper hand now, but that can't last forever, right?"

"I'm not so sure about that Geoff." Bridgette answered, still not looking at him. "I'm not convinced we can stop him. I mean, look at the things he's already done without us being aware of it until it was too late. If he can escape from prison and kill five of our friends without us knowing what chance do we really have of stopping him?"

Geoff glanced at her, unsure how to respond. He had never heard Bridgette sound so defeated before and he had no idea how to go about comforting her when she seemed to have already given up hope. "Bridgette-" he began, but she cut him off.

"No Geoff, don't tell me that it's all going to work out." she said, her voice trembling. "Don't tell me that there is a way to fix this, because there isn't. McLean has already won and it's my fault. It's all my fucking fault. If I had just given him what he wanted none of this would have happened and Jen, Caitlin, Harold, Cody, and Sierra would still be alive. If I had just let him kill me when he first escaped..." Her voice trailed off as she broke down into tears, her whole body shaking from the force of her sobs.

Geoff wrapped his arms around her and held her close, stroking her hair. "Bridgette listen to me." he said. His voice was whispered, but there was a force behind it that made her look at him. His eyes were blazing and he looked like he was barely containing his rage. "Listen to me. None of this is your fault Bridgette. You have done nothing but try to stop McLean and that proves to me that you are a good person. Yes you have failed to stop him, we all have, but that doesn't mean we should give up and it certainly doesn't mean you should wish your own life would end. Even if we had known McLean's plans from the beginning we may not have been able to stop him, but we know now so all we can do is move forward and hope he makes a mistake, which he will. No one is perfect Bridgette and sooner or later McLean will fuck up and when he does we will be ready."

Bridgette looked at him and smiled, feeling a sense of calm she hadn't felt in days settle in her chest. He was right, of course. They couldn't just give up and let McLean win, despite how much of a head start he had. Eventually he would make a mistake and they would use that to their advantage. Bridgette just hoped that mistake would come sooner rather than later, for the longer McLean was free the more time he had to make his next move.

* * *

><p>The next day Bridgette met with the others to discuss their next move, though none of them seemed overly enthusiastic about discussing plans. Evan Duncan, who was usually so impatient, seemed like he didn't want to be making plans. It was strange seeing him so subdued and Bridgette had to admit it freaked her out a bit to know that even Duncan could be so dramatically affected by McLean's actions. Bridgette wasn't sure why she was so surprised by this, it wasn't like Duncan was a soulless automaton who was incapable of feeling anything. It was just he had always seemed to be so strong to Bridgette and seeing him bowed by a sadistic madman like McLean reminded Bridgette of just how vulnerable Duncan actually was.<p>

"So why are we here again?" Izzy asked, glancing around the room.

"We're here, Miss Sharpe, to discuss our next move." said Ron, his tone hollow, as if he didn't believe there was a point to them meeting.

"What next move?" Izzy asked, her tone incredulous. "Do any of you really have a plan or are we just meeting to pass the time until McLean strikes again?"

"What else do you want us to do Izzy?" LeShawna asked. "Would you rather we all just sat around by ourselves, waiting for McLean to pick us off? Because I'd much rather be surrounded by people I trust than waiting this out alone."

"Waiting around isn't going to cut it though." Duncan muttered, his intense gaze passing over the room and coming to rest on Bridgette.

"So you do have a plan then?" Izzy asked, with a skeptical glance at Duncan.

"No, not really." Duncan admitted, hanging his head. "But that's why we're all here. Someone here has to have a fucking plan, right?"

No one answered him, for none of them really had a plan. And as this truth washed over them Bridgette realized it wouldn't matter anyway. Even if they had a plan, McLean would still be one or two steps ahead of them. He had held the advantage since this game had begun and though Bridgette wanted to believe what Geoff had told her the day before she had to admit that it was unlikely that McLean would ever lose that advantage. They were fighting a losing battle and one way or another it seemed McLean would eventually claim them all.

* * *

><p>However, despite their lack of a plan and the seemingly overwhelming belief that McLean had already won, Bridgett and her friends would not hear anything from McLean for the next three days. At first Bridgette had thought McLean was simply taking his time before making his next kill, but after a day or two she began to wonder if something had happened. Maybe McLean had changed his mind. Maybe he had given up or maybe he had been caught. But even as these hopes flared in her mind Bridgette felt their light dim. She was jumping to conclusions and she knew that they were wrong. McLean would never just give up or change his mind, her previous conversations had proven that. McLean was on a mission and he would not stop until he had fulfilled that mission. And he couldn't have been caught either. They would have heard something if had and besides, McLean was too good to let himself get caught. But if these weren't the reasons for his absence then what was? Where was he and what was he planning? Bridgette could tell her friends were asking themselves the same questions but none of them seemed to have any answers. Finally, four days after their last meeting, and five days after receiving Caitlin's head, Bridgette and her friends got together again to try and figure out where McLean might be.<p>

Bridgette entered the living room to find the others gathered and waiting. She immediately noticed how tired they all looked, as if none of them had slept much in the last four days. She couldn't blame them for that, as she hadn't been sleeping much either, for every time she closed her eyes her mind was filled with horrible images of McLean torturing her friends and even more horrible images of Caitlin's dead eyes staring at her. She wondered if the others were experiencing similar nightmares or if it was just her.

"So, where the fuck is McLean?" Owen asked, his voice bringing Bridgette out of her thoughts. "It's been five days since he sent us Caitlin's head, so why hasn't he made another move?"

"You're asking us like we're supposed to know, dude." said Geoff. "But we're just as confused as you dude."

"Well I know one thing." said Izzy. "All this silence on McLean's end is really starting to freak me out."

"Why?" Starr asked. "Maybe this silence is a good thing? Maybe he's given up?"

"Yeah right." Izzy muttered. "If that were true Starr then we'd be swimming in fucking champagne because we'd be celebrating his defeat. But you tell me, does it look like we're fucking celebrating right now?"

"No, but why is it so inconceivable to assume that he's given up?" Starr asked, her tone incredulous and her expression hurt.

"Because he said he wouldn't." Bridgette answered, before Izzy could. "The note that he put with Caitlin's head said this was only the beginning and that things were going to get a lot worse. And if there's one thing I've learned about McLean in the last few days it's that he doesn't give up. When he says he's going to do something, he does it."

"So why hasn't he killed anyone else yet?" Jude asked. "I mean, I get what you're saying bra, but if it's true that he never gives up then why does it seem like he has?"

"It's an illusion, the eye of the storm." Dr. McLellen answered.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Duncan asked, staring at Dr. McLellen like he was a crazy person.

"It's simple really." Dr. McLellen answered. "The answer is in his last message. Think of his game as though it were a hurricane. The murders were just the leading edge of the storm and right now we are in the eye. The trailing edge of the storm tends to be worse than the leading edge, so what we are experiencing now is the calm period before the trailing edge hits. In other words, the eye of the storm, the only part of a hurricane that's calm."

For a moment the room was silent, as everyone seemed to be trying to process Dr. McLellen's words and then Duncan spoke. "Okay, that was a great little metaphor doc, but what the fuck does it mean?" he asked, his tone thick with sarcasm.

"It means that whatever my brother is planning next, it's going to be worse than what he has already done." Dr. McLellen answered. "I assume that is why he is taking so long. This calm period is meant to lure us into a false sense of security in the hopes that we become lax in our plans, thus making it easier for him to make his next move."

"But what is he planning?" Nikki asked, glancing at the professor.

"I wish I knew Nikki." Dr. McLellen answered. "Ultimately I doubt it matters. What matters is that we don't allow ourselves to be taken in by this charade. We must remain vigilant, or we may not survive McLean's next attack."

"Well that settles that." said Duncan. "We have to come up with a new plan now. I won't be caught off guard again, not by McLean, not by anyone."

There was a rumble of general consensus in the room and Bridgette felt her confidence rise again. Dr. McLellen's explanation made sense and it seemed to have instilled a new life in the group. All they had to do now was gain the upper hand and they would win this battle. The only question was, how to go about doing it? How would they turn the tides? Bridgette wasn't sure, but she was confident they would find the answers before McLean struck again.

But while Bridgette's confidence may have returned, McLean was already preparing to make his next move.

**A/N: And his next move is going to be big, I think. And just so you're all aware, what McLean is planning next will make the murders seem like child's play. I can't say any more now and it'll be a little while before I fully reveal what his plans are but I can assure you they're going to be big.**


	19. When Friends Disappear

Some two hundred miles away from Fort Columbus, in the small town of Plainsfield, Heather Chen sat outside her dormitory reading. She was attending Hallsley University, along with Alejandro, Justin, and Tyler, and was majoring business. They had tried to get Lindsey and Tricia to join them but Lindsey had been adamant about attending Thurmond and Tricia was still not sure what she wanted to do with her future. Heather supposed it didn't really matter that they hadn't wanted to come to Hallsley, but she had to admit she missed them. She had never been the kind of person who was overly reliant on others, but she had always felt a sense of security when she was with Lindsey and Tricia, especially when she was with Lindsey. They had been friends for as long as either of them could remember, with Heather usually taking the dominant role in the relationship, and it felt weird to not have Lindsey there with her. Still, Heather was not going to make a big deal about Lindsey's decision, as she had decided last year that she was done manipulating people, a decision she had made after learning Bridgette had been raped. Something about that event had changed something deep inside Heather and she had vowed to never again allow the manipulative side of her personality come out. She had gained the respect and friendship of a great number of people because of that decision, including Bridgette, Nikki, and Gwen, whom Heather had previously delighted in tormenting. But now she was glad to have them on her side and she wished they were here right now as she hadn't seen any of them in months. Heather sighed and closed her book before getting to her feet. As she moved to head back inside she heard something which made her freeze.

"Hello?" she asked, peering into the growing shadows of twilight. "Who's there?"

No answer came and for a moment Heather wondered if she was going crazy. She took a couple steps towards the darkness, straining to see, but there was no one there. Finally deciding she must have been hearing things Heather turned and headed back towards the dorm. She had only made it a few steps before something grabbed her, pulling her back into the shadows. She screamed and kicked out, trying to break free from her attacker's grip, but her attacker was too strong. She twisted around in his grasp, catching a brief glimpse of his face before he shoved a rag over her mouth and nose.

Heather gagged as she breathed in the chemical that soaked the rag. She dimly recognized the chemical's sweet smell and her mind groped for the word, finding it just before she passed out. _Chloroform_, she thought, before darkness took her, her body slumping against her attacker before hitting the ground with a soft thump.

For a moment Heather's attacker stood staring at her in silence before stepping forward to collect her. "Hello Heather." McLean said, with a smile, though he knew she couldn't hear him. "You will be the next victim." With that he laughed before hauling Heather's limp form off the ground and walking off into the darkness.

* * *

><p>The next morning, fresh off her first good night of sleep in nearly two weeks, Bridgette made her way down to the kitchen. She was still brimming with confidence following Dr. McLellen's speech the night before and she could sense that confidence had permeated every corner of the house. She entered the kitchen to find that Nikki, Gwen, and Izzy were already awake, all three of them looking more well rested and confident than they had in days. Owen and Geoff were also already there, as were Jude, Starr, Duncan, and Eva.<p>

"Good morning everyone." Bridgette said, her smile radiant.

"Good morning yourself babe." said Geoff, moving to kiss her, a move which made Duncan flinch.

"I see everyone got a good night's sleep." Bridgette observed, glancing around the room.

"Well, getting a pep talk from a well respected professor will do that for you." Nikki said, with a radiant smile of her own.

"Apparently it will." Duncan muttered. "I take back what I said about the professor before. I'm glad he's with us."

"Thank you for that Duncan." Dr. McLellen said, as he, Wyatt, Marlowe, LeShawna, Shane, and the Kings entered the kitchen. "I'm glad I could be of service."

"How'd you guys get in here?" Izzy asked, with a suspicious glance at the group.

"You left the front door unlocked, Miss Sharpe." Chef answered. "A mistake you may want to avoid repeating in the future, by the way, as we don't know for sure where McLean may be hiding."

The mood in the room shifted dramatically at the mention of McLean, as everyone seemed to grow darker. It was then that Bridgette realized that Chef hadn't been smiling when he had entered the room, but before she could comment, Duncan spoke up.

"Wow, way to kill the mood Chef." he muttered, with a quick glance at the King.

Chef shot him a dark look before turning to the room at large. "Sorry about that." he said. "But I'm sure the mood would have been killed soon enough anyway, so I thought I'd beat the news to the punch."

"What are you talking about?" Duncan asked, perplexed.

"Turn on the TV and see for yourself." Chef muttered, not meeting Duncan's gaze.

The shiver that passed around the room at Chef's words was palpable and for a moment no one moved. Finally Bridgette picked up the remote and flipped on the TV, turning to the news station, which was right in the middle of a story about a kidnapping at Hallsley University. Bridgette felt her blood freeze, her whole body going numb.

"...we don't have many details at the moment, but it appears Miss Chen was taken just outside her dorm building." the newscaster was saying. "We will keep viewers informed as this story develops."

"Shit, it's Heather." Nikki said, as Bridgette switched off the TV.

"Damn it." Duncan shouted. "Just when it was beginning to look like we could gain the upper hand that bastard has to go and make his next move."

"Do you think she's still alive?" Gwen asked, glancing at Nikki, who was struggling to hold back her tears. It was no secret that Nikki had never been close with her cousin but it was highly unlikely that she had ever wanted Heather to be kidnapped by a psycho.

"Well there was no mention on the news that she was dead, but that doesn't mean anything." said Duncan. "Given what McLean has already done I would say-" His sentence was cut short by a burst of frantic pounding on the front door.

Bridgette moved to answer the door, flinging it open to find a desperate looking Alejandro standing on the porch, along with an equally shaken Justin. For a moment Bridgette simply stared at them before motioning for them to come inside. Once they were inside Alejandro made his way to the kitchen so everyone could hear what he had to say.

"Heather." he gasped, his breath coming in short gasps. "It's Heather. She's been taken."

"Calm down Alejandro, just calm down." said Geoff, placing his hand on Alejandro's shoulder in an effort to steady him. Alejandro looked like he wanted to hit Geoff, but he let his shoulders slump and allowed calm to wash over him.

"We already know about Heather." Geoff said, looking Alejandro in the eye. "It was on the news this morning."

"It was McLean." Alejandro said, his gaze growing dark. "He took her last night while she was on her way back to the dorms. We found her book just outside the building along with a rag soaked in chloroform. Guys, I'm fucking terrified. What if he hurts her? We heard about Jen and Caitlin and Harold, and Cody and Sierra. What if McLean does something like that to Heather?"

"I don't think he will." Dr. McLellen said, his voice drawing everyones attention.

"What makes you say that?" Izzy asked, her tone confused.

"It goes back to what I said yesterday." Dr. McLellen answered. "This is the trailing edge of the storm. So whatever McLean is planning it is likely that it will be awhile before his plan is revealed. So we may have a bit of time, if we move quickly, to stop him before he harms Heather or takes anyone else."

"But who would he take next?" Wyatt asked, glancing around the room.

"There's only one person I can think of." said Justin. "If he took Heather, then his next logical target would be her best friend."

"Oh shit, Lindsey." said Gwen, her terrified glance passing over the room. "And that would put Katie and Sadie in danger as well."

"Well then we have to warn them." said Alejandro. "We can't let McLean take them. Tyler would never forgive us if something happened to Lindsey." The others agreed and Bridgette moved to call Lindsey, praying that she wasn't too late.

* * *

><p>Later that day, some hundred and fifty miles from Fort Columbus, Lindsey Peterson made her way back to her dorm after finishing with classes for the day. She had received Bridgette's call earlier that morning and was on high alert, all of her senses pricked for any sign of McLean. Truth be told she had been expecting this ever since Caitlin had been killed, something Lindsey had still not really accepted yet. She had been amongst the first to learn about Caitlin, which was not surprising considering they both attended Thurmond Woman's College, along with Katie and Sadie. It still hurt to think about how Caitlin's life had ended, and the pain was made worse by how close Lindsey and Caitlin had been. Caitlin had been one of the only three people Lindsey truly trusted, the other two being Heather and Tyler. And now Heather had been taken by McLean as well, so Lindsey was being extra careful, especially since Bridgette seemed to think she was the next target.<p>

Lindsey had just reached the courtyard in between the two main dorm buildings when she heard something that made her freeze. She glanced around, trying to locate the source of the noise, but she couldn't see anything. And then, before she even had time to react, he was on her, shoving a chemical soaked rag into her face. She breathed in, smelling the sweet sent of the chloroform, before darkness took her. She was dimly aware of McLean's voice in her ear as she passed out, but her clouded brain failed to process his words, though she thought she heard him say, "Hello Lindsey" before falling unconscious.

* * *

><p>That night, back in Fort Columbus, Bridgette and the others received the bad news, in much the same way they had found out about Heather. There was another mews report, this time about a kidnapping at Thurmond, a revelation that made the entire group groan.<p>

"Well shit." Justin muttered. "Tyler's not going to be happy about this."

"Yeah, no kidding pretty boy." Duncan muttered. "Lindsey's the love of his life. If he was anything other than pissed about this, I'd be fucking disappointed."

"I wonder if he'll come charging in here like Justin and Alejandro did." Izzy said, glancing at the two jocks as she spoke.

"I don't know Izzy." said Alejandro. "Tyler's always been unpredictable, but my guess-" His sentence was cut short by a pair of quick, thunderous knocks on the front door. "Well, that's probably him now." Alejandro said, glancing at the door.

Once again Bridgette moved to open the door, finding a visibly upset Tyler standing on the front porch when she did. He was shaking, as though he had been crying, and the look on his face was murderous. However, before he could open his mouth to speak, Bridgette held up a hand to silence him. "We already know about Lindsey." she said, her look sympathetic.

Tyler's shoulders sagged and he followed Bridgette inside without speaking. After a few moments of silence Tyler finally spoke. "Okay, so what are we going to do about this?" he asked. "Do any of you have any idea what McLean is planning?"

"Unfortunately no, we don't." said Geoff. "We thought we had a solid plan, but he keeps finding a way to get around it. His kidnap of Lindsey proves that, because we warned her as soon as we found out about Heather."

"Well I appreciate you trying." said Tyler, though he still looked unhappy. "I guess all we can do now is try harder and hope that eventually he won't slip through."

The others agreed and once again they set about trying to figure out a way to stop McLean, though none of them really seemed to think it was possible any more.

* * *

><p>Over the next couple of days McLean would continue to prove their assumptions right. By the time they had reached the two day mark following Lindsey's kidnap they had received word that Courtney, Tricia, Katie, Sadie, Beth, Trent, Jonesy, and Chrissy had also been taken. By now Bridgette and her friends had all but completely lost hope that there was any way to stop McLean. No matter how vigilant they were about warning the others, McLean was always a step ahead of them. It was extremely frustrating and depressing to know that McLean was still holding the upper hand. But not everyone was so willing to give up hope. Nikki in particular was still determined to find McLean, though she had no idea how she was going to do it.<p>

"Fuck, why is this so fucking hard?" Duncan asked, three days after Lindsey's kidnap. "How is McLean still winning?"

"He's a cunning bastard." Geoff replied. "He's obviously got some way of knowing our plans before we're able to put them into play, though I don't have a clue how he'd be getting that information."

"Well, we can't give up." said Jude, his tone determined. "Eventually he'll mess up, right?"

"I don't know dude." said Geoff. "I'm starting to think Bridgette was right. Maybe he won't mess up. Maybe he's just too good for us to beat him."

"No, that's bullshit." said Nikki. "I don't believe that and neither should you."

"What do you want us to say Nikki?" Geoff asked. "Do you want us to say it's going to be okay? Is that what you want? Cuz I don't see how we can keep saying that when every plan we've had so far has failed."

"Fine, give up, see if I care." Nikki snapped, her gaze cold. "But I will never give up on our friends." With that she turned and stormed off towards the door.

"Nikki, where are you going?" Geoff called, but she ignored him as she flung the front door open, stepped out on to the front porch, and stormed off, slamming the door shut behind her.

* * *

><p>A short time later, Nikki found herself on the CSU campus, staring at the front of Cascade Hall. Tears burned at the back of her eyes and she shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. How could Geoff and the others just give up like that? Didn't they want to find their friends? Or did they want McLean to win? No, that couldn't be right, could it? Nikki knew it wasn't, but she couldn't help thinking that maybe it was a possibility. But she would never give in to McLean's games. No, she would fight him for as long as it took. She would find the others and she would stop McLean, no matter what it took.<p>

Content that she had not lost her resolve, Nikki turned to head home, only to find her path blocked by McLean. "You." she breathed. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious Nikki?" McLean asked. "I'm here for you. I'm here to make sure that you never get a chance to move against me."

"If you're so confident, why don't you come and take me?" Nikki asked, her tone full of mockery and daring.

"Ah, but why take you myself when I can have someone else do it for me?" McLean asked, his tone also mocking.

Nikki gave him a curious glance and then she heard footsteps behind her. She spun in time to see a tall man carrying a baseball bat, but before she could react the man brought the bat crashing down over her head, knocking her out. Nikki's legs buckled from the force of the blow and she hit the ground with a soft thud, while McLean smiled.

"Oh Nikki, you were always so easy to lure into a trap." he mused, before hauling her off the ground and disappearing into the shadows.

* * *

><p>The next morning, back at the house, Bridgette awoke to find the house in an uproar. Confused, she made her way downstairs, where she was greeted by Gwen and Izzy's panicked faces.<p>

"Guys what's going on?" Bridgette asked, staring at her two friends in concern.

"Nikki's missing." Gwen answered, her voice strained.

"What do you mean Nikki's missing?" Bridgette asked, though she felt a wave of panic wash over her at the implications.

"What do you think it means?" Izzy asked. "Nikki went out last night and she hasn't come back. Now why do you think that would be Bridgette?"

"McLean took her." Bridgette said, her shoulders slumping. "So he's back in Fort Columbus then?"

"It seems so." said Chef, as he and the others approached. "Which means we have to be extra careful from now on. If McLean is indeed back in town then no one goes off alone from now on, understand?"

Everyone nodded to show they understood, though there was still a question Bridgette needed to have answered. "Why was Nikki out by herself last night?" she asked.

"She overheard us talking about how we're fighting a losing battle and she got pissed off." Duncan admitted. "I assume she went to cool off or something. Fuck, if we had just kept our mouths shut she wouldn't have been out there last night." He glanced at Geoff and Jude as he finished speaking, making them both hang their heads in shame.

"Don't blame yourselves." Bridgette said, her tone stern. "It won't help. All we can do now is hope we find her and the others before McLean can do whatever it is he's planning to do to them."

Duncan nodded and Geoff moved to embrace Bridgette. The loss of Nikki had served one purpose at least. It had strengthened their weakening resolve, but Bridgette still doubted it would be enough to win them the day.

* * *

><p>Later that day, Bridgette, Gwen, and Izzy went out to get some lunch, saying they would be back shortly. They went to a deli a few blocks from campus that Dr. McLellen had told them about several months earlier. While they were eating Bridgette and Gwen went over possible plans for stopping McLean, while Izzy picked moodily at her food. At some point, while Bridgette and Gwen were in bathroom and Izzy was distracted by the patterns in the wood of the table a man walked up and bumped into Izzy, causing her to face-plant into her food.<p>

"Hey watch it you clumsy oaf." Izzy snapped, wiping ketchup off her face.

"I'm sorry miss." the man said, hauling himself to his feet as he spoke. "I didn't see you there. Here let me help you clean yourself up."

Izzy said nothing, but allowed the man to help her, thanking him when he was finished. The man smiled and nodded before leaving, just as Bridgette and Gwen returned to the table.

"Who was your friend?" Bridgette asked, glancing at Izzy, who was taking a large gulp of her soda.

"He's not my friend." Izzy said, her tone dark. "He's some oaf who ran into me and made me slop ketchup all over myself."

Bridgette and Gwen said nothing, though they both smiled, apparently finding Izzy's situation funny. They would finish their meal in silence before Izzy suddenly jumped up from the table, her stomach churning.

"Izzy, you okay?" Gwen asked, glancing at her friend in concern.

"I feel kind of sick." Izzy said. "I think I'm gonna go. See you guys at home."

Bridgette and Gwen nodded and Izzy left, nearly collapsing once she was outside. She steadied herself and began walking home, making it only a couple of blocks before her legs seized up.

"Ugh, what the fuck?" Izzy muttered, her voice sounding slurred. It was then that she noticed that the ground seemed to be moving in front of her, everything spinning in a swirl of color. She felt her head spin and then the ground came rushing up to meet her as she collapsed, her whole body seizing up as the paralysis set in.

For a few seconds Izzy lay there alone, staring up at the hazy sky, and then she heard footsteps approaching. Seconds later a hazy figure entered her field of vision, a figure she recognized as McLean. "Ugh, you...bastard." she gasped. "I...I'll fucking..." Her sentence trailed off as darkness took her, her last sensation the sound of McLean's laughter.

"Yeah, you won't be doing anything to me Izzy." McLean smirked, staring at her prone form. "No, the only thing you'll be doing is suffering, just like the rest of your little friends."

**A/N: Okay, so I know this chapter is coming a day late but there is a reason for that. Well two reasons actually, but who's counting? First of all, as you can probably tell, this is a pretty long chapter and it took me a little longer to write it than I originally thought it would. And second, the X Games were on this weekend so I was a little distracted by that. Anyway, getting back to the story. So, the tides have shifted and now McLean is only kidnapping people instead of killing them. Trust me, there is a more sinister reason for this change, but you'll have to keep reading to find out what it is. Also, you may have noticed how I broke this chapter up into parts. This was done to give you a glimpse of some of the other characters before they were taken. Finally, McLean took a different path when he kidnapped Izzy, as opposed to the use of chloroform or baseball bats. With Izzy he used a synthetic compound which induces nausea, dizziness, paralysis, and eventually causes the victim to fall unconscious. The man who ran into Izzy at the deli slipped it into her drink while she was still face down in her food. **


	20. Suspicions Arise

Early the next morning Bridgette found herself sitting alone in the living room, her mind racing as she tried to figure out how she was going to stop McLean. She and Gwen had returned from lunch the previous afternoon to find that Izzy had not made it home despite leaving the deli before they had. They had asked the others if Izzy had been seen, but no one had seen her and it had quickly become apparent that Izzy had been taken. Bridgette had spent the rest of the day agonizing over the loss of another of her friends, only to find her resolve strengthening by the time she went to bed. That was why she was awake now. Sleep had not come easy and Bridgette had decided there was no point in sleeping when she needed every possible second to focus on coming up with a way to defeat McLean. The only question was how, how was she going to do it? Was it even possible to win? Or was McLean already too many steps ahead of her for her to catch up in time? As usual Bridgette was struggling to come up with any satisfactory answers, but she would not give up. No matter how hard it was she would see McLean fall, even if she had to die to ensure it happened.

Bridgette was not the only one who was determined to never give up. Geoff, Gwen, Duncan, the Kings, Owen, Eva, and Dr. McLellen also showed no signs of quiting. Duncan in particular seemed to be extremely devoted to the cause, though he had his own reasons for not wanting to give up, reasons he was reluctant to share with the others. His reasons were his own and he would share them when he was ready, when he finally had the proof he needed. Fortunately for Duncan, his chance to prove himself was fast approaching though he didn't yet know it.

* * *

><p>Later that morning, Bridgette made her way to the kitchen to make some coffee, frustrated by her inability to come up with an answer to her questions. As she entered the kitchen she ran into Duncan, who was headed towards the living room. Startled, she gasped, stifling a scream, while Duncan grunted in pain. For a moment they simply stood there, staring at one another, embarrassment thick in the air. And then Duncan spoke, his voice hoarse and scratchy.<p>

"Good morning Blondy." he said, with only a trace of his usual sarcasm.

"Good morning Duncan." Bridgette replied, stepping around him to enter the kitchen.

"What're you doing up this early?" he asked, glancing at her over his shoulder.

"It's eight thirty Duncan, I'm always up at this hour." Bridgette replied, not meeting his glance. "What are you doing up this early?"

"I couldn't sleep." Duncan answered, with a shrug. "There's too much on my mind, you know with all the fucking kidnappings and all." He felt a powerful urge to tell her about his personal reasons for not giving up, but something stopped him. He gave her a sly smile and turned to leave, her voice stopping him.

"Duncan, is there something you're not telling me?" she asked, her tone questioning.

He turned towards her, flinching at the look of suspicion on her face. "No." he said, with an innocent smile. "Why would I keep secrets from you?"

"I don't know, maybe because you've done it before." Bridgette answered.

"Well I'm not now, okay?" Duncan said, trying to keep his voice level.

"Okay, if you say so." Bridgette said, turning towards the coffee pot.

Duncan stared at her a moment, waiting to see if she was going to say anything else, but she didn't. Taking this as his cue to leave Duncan turned and walked out of the room, cursing himself for his own stupidity.

* * *

><p>Later that day Duncan met with Geoff, Gwen, and Eva to discuss his fears. He wasn't sure why he hadn't come forward with his fears sooner, but he supposed now was as good a time as any. His fears revolved around Shane and the possibility that the teacher's aid was working with McLean. He supposed the reason he hadn't told anyone yet had something to do with the fact that they were likely to scoff at his suspicions, as he had always disliked Shane and the others were likely to think he was just being paranoid because of that. But Duncan was convinced there was something wrong with Shane and he felt he had to tell someone before anything else happened. If nothing else he hoped to convince the others to at least consider the possibility. He had chosen Geoff, Gwen, and Eva as his first confidants because he thought they were the ones most likely to listen to him. But he knew it was still going to be difficult to convince them, even if they were more likely to listen.<p>

"So what is it you want to discuss Duncan?" Geoff asked, eying the punk with a hint of suspicion. It was obvious that there was still some degree of bad blood between them, which wasn't surprising given how much they both loved Bridgette.

Duncan chose to ignore this and fixed Geoff with his steely gaze. "I have something to tell you guys that may interest you." he answered.

"And what would this something be, if you don't mind filling us in?" said Gwen.

"I think Shane is working with McLean." Duncan answered, his gaze still on Geoff.

For a moment the other three said nothing and then Geoff spoke. "Are you fucking nuts?" he asked. "You think Shane is spy? What the fuck makes you think that?"

"Haven't you noticed how he's been conveniently absent when each of the kidnappings occurred?" Duncan asked, glancing at Gwen and Eva as he spoke.

"So he's been absent, that doesn't mean he was involved." said Eva. "I mean, okay, I'll admit I don't really like the guy either, but that doesn't mean he's working with McLean. Come on Duncan, that's a real reach there buddy."

"Is it Eva?" Duncan asked. "Think about it. He's always absent when the kidnappings happen and he has no real reason to be here. He's not an ally of the Kings, so why is her here, unless he's a fucking spy for McLean?"

"He's here because Dr. McLellen trusts him." Gwen answered. "There's some sort of connection between them and Dr. McLellen trusts him, so why don't you?"

"I don't trust him because I think he's trying to make a move on Bridgette." Duncan snarled. "And I don't give a damn if Dr. McLellen trusts him, I still think he's working with McLean."

"Okay, let's say he is." said Geoff. "Do you have any evidence to support this claim? Because if you don't, you know the others aren't going to listen to you."

"No, I don't have any fucking evidence." Duncan muttered, not meeting Geoff's gaze.

"Then why did you come to us?" Gwen asked. "I mean, if you don't have any evidence and you knew we were going to be skeptical to begin with, why did you even bother trying to convince us Shane is a spy?"

"Because I was hoping you would fucking listen." Duncan shouted, his anger getting the better of him. "So I don't have any evidence, who fucking cares? Shane is McLean's spy, why can't you guys see that?"

"Because we need proof before we make conclusions." Eva answered, just as Jude and Starr entered the room.

"You need proof before you make conclusions about what Eva?" Starr asked, glancing around the room, her gaze taking in the whole scene, from Geoff and Gwen's perplexed looks to Eva's serious stare to Duncan's cold glare.

"Nothing." Eva said. "It's nothing. We're just...never mind."

"Don't lie Eva." said Jude. "Something is going on here, so what is it?"

"Duncan thinks Shane is a spy working for McLean." Gwen answered. Geoff, Eva, and Duncan all stared at her, shocked, while Jude and Starr stared at Duncan like he was crazy.

"Hold up." said Jude. "Duncan thinks Shane is a spy? When did that happen?"

"It seems to have been going on for quite some time now." Geoff answered.

Jude looked at Duncan for a moment before speaking again. "Do you really think Shane is a spy dude?" he asked. Duncan nodded and Jude burst out laughing.

"What the fuck is so funny?" Duncan demanded, his tone threatening.

"Well, nothing really." Jude admitted, once he'd stopped laughing. "Except for the fact that you're crazy enough to think that Shane is a spy. I mean come on dude, don't you think we'd have figured that out by now if it was true?"

"Well, given that you're a fucking idiot, my guess would be no." Duncan snapped.

"Whatever dude." said Jude. "I still think you're crazy to be suspicious of Shane, but whatever. Your life dude. Have fun being crazy bro." With that he and Starr turned and headed for the exit, before Duncan could reply.

"Where are you two going?" Gwen asked, before Jude and Starr could exit.

"We're going for a short walk." Starr answered. "Don't worry, we won't be gone long."

"Okay, but be careful." Gwen said. "McLean could be hiding anywhere and we can't afford to have you two kidnapped as well."

Starr nodded and Jude winked, to show that they understood Gwen's concerns. With that, they left, leaving Gwen, Geoff, Eva, and Duncan to continue their discussion.

* * *

><p>A short time later Jude and Starr found themselves in the park that was located a few blocks from the house. The park had a nice walking path cutting through it and was the perfect place for a quick romantic get away.<p>

"This place is nice." Starr mused, glancing at Jude, who was watching her intently.

"Yeah. Maybe we should consider enrolling at CSU so we can come here everyday." Jude said, a smile playing about the corners of his mouth.

"Yeah, maybe we should." Starr agreed. "You know, once we're able to afford it."

"Yeah, too bad that's not gonna be easy." said Jude. "I'd really like to live here now."

"Me too babe." said Starr. "But now that we know we want to come here, we finally have the-" Her sentence suddenly died in her throat, her whole body going limp, as she collapsed to the ground in a heap.

"Starr." Jude said, his voice panicked. "Starr, you okay bra?" It was then that he noticed the tranquilizer dart sticking out of the back of her neck. "Oh shit." he breathed, spinning around, all his senses straining for any sign of their attacker. "Who's there?" he shouted. "Show yourself." No response came and Jude felt his anger rise. "Show yourself or I swear to-" His sentence was cut short as a tranquilizer dart hit him directly in the chest, knocking him on his ass.

Seconds later, McLean appeared beside them, a smile crossing his face. "Excellent." he whispered, before hauling them away.

* * *

><p>A short time later, back at the house, Duncan found himself sitting on the front porch by himself. He was fuming, his whole body shaking with barely suppressed rage. He had failed to convince the others of his suspicions about Shane and they had mocked him, questioning his logic and reasoning, just like he'd known they would. Still, even though he'd known they wouldn't listen, it stung to know that they didn't trust him. He couldn't understand why they felt that way, but he had a feeling it had something to do with the fact that he was still in love with Bridgette. Perhaps the others thought he needed to let her go and they resented him for not being able to do that. But why did it matter so much? So he loved Bridgette, why was that such a bad thing? But even as these questions passed through his mind he knew the answers. It was a bad thing because Bridgette was with Geoff and as long as Duncan loved her, he and Geoff would never truly see eye to eye. And as this realization washed over him Duncan resolved to let his feelings for Bridgette go, for only then would he be able to convince the others that Shane was a spy.<p>

With this new resolve still burning in his mind Duncan headed back inside to find the others preparing dinner. Geoff, Gwen, and Eva all gave him suspicious glances, something that went unnoticed by the others. Bridgette, on the other hand, smiled at him making his stomach clench like a fist. Apparently no one had told her about his suspicions, much to his relief. Ignoring the looks from Geoff, Gwen, and Eva as best he could, Duncan moved to help set the table, part of him wishing he could be alone with Bridgette. But even as he thought this he pushed the thought away, not wanting anyone to guess what was on his mind.

A short time later the group sat down for dinner, just as Shane burst into the house, his face pale and his eyes wide with terror. His sudden appearance made everyone freeze as Bridgette got to her feet and moved to stand beside him.

"Shane, what's wrong?" she asked, her eyes searching his face for some sign of what had scared him.

"Jude and Starr. He took them." Shane answered, not quite meeting her gaze.

"What?" Geoff said, jumping up from his seat. "How do you know McLean took them?"

"Because of this." Shane said, thrusting a note towards Geoff as he spoke. "It's written in McLean's hand. He says he's almost done collecting his prisoners."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Tyler asked, his tone demanding.

"I have no idea." Shane answered. "But I would assume it means he's almost done preparing for whatever it is he's planning on doing."

"You seem to know a lot about what McLean is doing Shane." Duncan said, his voice drawing everyone's attention. "And I think there's a reason for that. I think-" A sharp warning glance from Chef caused him to stop, but he continued to glare at Shane.

Shane stared at him a moment, as though he wanted to hear what Duncan had to say, but he let the moment pass without making any comment.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Wyatt asked, glancing around the room.

"The only thing we can do." Shane answered. "We're going to keep trying to find a way to stop McLean."

* * *

><p>Later that evening, while stepping out for a smoke, Duncan was confronted by Eva, who seemed to want to continue their discussion from earlier that day.<p>

"What do you want Eva?" Duncan growled, not looking at her.

"I want to apologize." she said. "About before. I was wrong and you were right. There's definitely something wrong with Shane and I want to help you prove to the others that he's a spy."

"Oh really?" Duncan said, his tone thick with sarcasm. "And what made you change your mind, if you don't mind my asking?"

"The way he was acting when he told us about Jude and Starr being kidnapped." Eva answered. "Something about his story doesn't add up. I saw the note, and it wasn't written in McLean's hand. Something fishy is going on here and I want to know what it is."

"Well, I'm grateful for your help, but it won't be easy." said Duncan, finally turning to look at her. "But now that you've been convinced I think we can get the others to listen as well."

"Okay, so when are we gonna do this?" Eva asked. "Now?"

"No, we'll confront Shane in the morning." Duncan said, with a wicked smile. "For now we'll just figure out how to go about doing it. But one way or another, by this time tomorrow the world will know the truth about Shane Shoals."

**A/N: So there you go. The dice have been cast and they've come up snake eyes. The only question now is, how will Duncan and Eva prove their theory about Shane? Is he really a spy for McLean or is something else going on? There's only one way to find out and that's to keep reading, so until next time folks, remember that not everything is what it seems.**


	21. Stabbed in the Back

Duncan and Eva had intended to confront Shane as soon as everyone was gathered at the house the next morning, but they would not get the chance, as unforeseen circumstances forced them to wait. Duncan had woken up prepared to reveal his suspicions to the entire group and had been relishing the thought of his victory, but what had greeted him in the living room was a scene of pure chaos. It seemed something had happened in the night and Duncan was keen to find out what.

"What's going on in here?" he asked, glancing around the room, noticing the tears in Bridgette's eyes as he did.

"Marlowe and LeShawna have been taken." Geoff answered, not looking at Duncan.

"When?" Duncan asked, silently cursing himself for not mentioning his suspicions the previous night.

"Early this morning, from what we can tell." Geoff answered. "They were taken from their dorm room. Someone broke in and grabbed them."

"Was it McLean?" Duncan asked, glancing at Shane as he spoke.

Geoff seemed to notice this, but made no comment. Instead he said, "What do you think? Who else would it be Duncan?"

"I don't know." Duncan said, with a shrug. "But we have to consider all possibilities, don't we?" He glanced at Shane again and this time Geoff had something to say.

"You're not really still suspicious of Shane, are you?" he hissed, his voice barely a whisper so only Duncan could hear him.

Duncan glanced at him, but did not answer. He wasn't going to justify himself to Geoff again. He knew he was right about Shane, but he wasn't going to try and convince Geoff again, not until he had proof and fortunately that proof would arrive before the day was out.

Duncan's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden, loud knock on the front door. For a moment everyone simply stared at the door and then Gwen moved to open it. As the door swung open, the hulking frame of D.J. Harris appeared in the doorway, blocking out most of the light.

"D.J.?" Gwen asked, her tone confused. "What brings you to Fort Columbus?"

"I thought I could help." D.J. replied. "After what happened to Jen and after Courtney and Jonesy were taken I decided I couldn't just sit around and do nothing anymore."

"Well, we welcome the help." said Gwen, with a small smile. D.J. nodded and entered the house, smiling at the others, though his smile was devoid of its usual glow, which was not a surprise given everything that had happened recently. Still, there was a determination in his look that brought the spirits of everyone else in the room up, if only for a moment.

* * *

><p>A short time later, Duncan met with Eva in the back yard, while the others worked on a new plan. The look on Eva's face was not happy and Duncan could understand why. They had failed in their plan. If they had just confronted Shane the previous night they could have prevented this. At least that's what Duncan kept telling himself anyway. Truthfully he had no idea who had taken Marlowe and LeShawna, but he was convinced Shane had been involved. The only problem was proving it, which was not going to be easy, but Duncan knew they could do it, if they could just find a way.<p>

"Well, I told you we should have confronted him last night." Eva said, with a disgruntled glance at Duncan.

"Yeah, yeah, I fucking know." Duncan snapped. "Don't remind me we fucking failed."

"Technically we haven't failed." Eva said, though she sounded like she didn't believe herself. "We didn't know he was going to move so quickly. Also we don't know for sure it was Shane who took them. It could have been McLean."

"Come on Eva." Duncan said, rolling his eyes. "You don't really believe that bullshit, do you? It was Shane who took them, I know it."

"Well aren't you just a confident little fucker." Eva muttered. "How do you know for sure it was Shane, I'd like to know."

"I just know, okay?" Duncan said, not meeting her gaze. "I can't explain it, but I just know. It was Shane, it has to have been him."

"Okay, so, now we have to confront him, don't we?" Eva asked.

"No, not yet." Duncan said. "There's something I want to check out first. Stay here and make sure Shane doesn't leave, okay."

"Where are you going?" Eva asked, her tone perplexed.

"I'm going to campus." Duncan answered. "Maybe someone saw something last night that can confirm it was Shane." With that he left, leaving Eva to ponder his words. It was a long shot, but she had to admit it was worth the risk. With that, she headed back inside, hoping Duncan would be okay.

* * *

><p>An hour later Duncan returned to the house, flushed with success. He had found proof of Shane's true allegiance and he was now prepared to reveal the truth to the others. He knew it was going to be a difficult pill for them to swallow, but they had to know. All this time they had had a spy in their midst, a spy who was helping McLean hurt their friends and who had been passing McLean all the information that had allowed him to stay two steps ahead of them. He entered the house through the back door, finding the group much as he had left them, sitting in a circle, discussing ways to beat McLean. He was pleased to see Shane was still there, so Eva had done her job, and now the truth could be revealed. He glanced at Eva and winked, a gesture that went unnoticed by the others, and then waited for his turn to speak.<p>

Shane was speaking at the moment, his voice echoing in the silent room. "...we need to be decisive in our next move." he was saying. "We need to stop hiding, stop waiting for McLean to pick us off and strike. Only by killing him can we hope to win."

"And why would you want us to kill him Shane?" Duncan asked, the sound of his voice making everyone turn to look at him. "I mean, you are his lackey after all, aren't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about Duncan." Shane said, with an innocent smile.

"Oh don't you?" Duncan asked, ignoring the looks of warning from the Kings, Geoff, and Gwen. "I think you know perfectly well what I'm fucking talking about."

"Well, then, I hate to say it, but I think you're delusional Duncan." Shane said, his smile still innocent.

"You think I'm delusional?" Duncan asked. "Then you mind explaining why you were conveniently absent every time one of our friends was kidnapped?"

"Certainly." said Shane. "I was absent because I was trying to gain information on McLean that would help us bring him down."

"Bullshit." Duncan shouted. "You were passing him information on us, weren't you? That's why he was able to avoid our plans so easily, wasn't it?"

"No." Shane said. "I was working to help you stop him. I swear on my life that I am not now, nor have I ever been, working with McLean."

"That's a lie." Duncan spat. "You're a spy and a traitor and I'm gonna kill you." He took a step forward, only to find his path blocked by Chef.

"That's enough Duncan." Chef said, his tone stern. "What you are saying is illogical. It makes no sense, whatsoever. Why would Shane be working for McLean? And even if he was, how would he have maintained his cover this long? Think about it Duncan, your claims are false and in your heart I think you know that."

"Then why is he so adamant that Shane is a spy?" Gwen asked, glancing at Chef.

"I think it has something to do with jealousy." Geoff answered. "He's jealous that Bridgette has other people to protect her besides him and he can't stand it."

"I am not fucking jealous of anyone." Duncan snarled. "Least of all you Geoff. And I'm certainly not jealous of Shane either. But I do know things about him no one else does."

"Like what?" Geoff asked, his tone full of skepticism.

"Like the fact that he's had a secret relationship with Bridgette." Duncan said, his tone full of triumph.

Geoff stared at him, his look one of disbelief, and then he started laughing. "Nice try Duncan." he said. "But I already know about that. Bridgette and Shane told me the truth four days ago and there's nothing going on between them. So, looks like you missed on that one. Got anything else?"

"He was passing McLean information on us." Duncan said, his tone desperate now.

"Yes, you already said that." Owen said, taking over for Geoff. "But where's your proof?"

"He doesn't have any." said Shane. "If he did, he would have presented it by now."

Duncan looked wildly around the room, barely daring to believe what he was hearing. Where the others really this blind? Did they really believe Shane's word over his? His gaze met Bridgette's and he could see the look of pity on her face, making him cringe.

"Duncan, why are you doing this?" she asked, her voice full of pity and concern. "Why are you so convinced Shane is a spy?"

Duncan didn't answer her, he couldn't find the words. The look on her face made him want to scream in frustration and anger, but he kept himself calm. An outraged explosion now would not help his cause, as the others already seemed to think he was mentally unstable.

"I'll tell you why he's so convinced." said Eva, speaking for the first time. "It's because what he says is the truth."

"Damn it Eva, not you too." said Geoff. "You were so skeptical of Duncan yesterday, what the fuck changed?"

"Wait, Duncan told you about this yesterday?" Wyatt asked, his tone perplexed.

"Yes." Geoff answered. "He came to me, Gwen, and Eva raving about how Shane was a spy and that he's been involved in some of the kidnappings."

"And you didn't think to tell us this sooner, because, why exactly?" Tyler asked.

"Because we thought he was wrong." Geoff answered. "He didn't have any proof and we just thought he was being paranoid because he's jealous of Shane or something. And Eva thought the same thing, so what changed?" He turned to look at Eva who met his piercing gaze with one of defiance.

"What changed is I saw how Shane acted when he told us about Jude and Starr last night." Eva answered. "He seemed to know more about their kidnapping than he should and it got me thinking, maybe there's a reason for that."

"Yeah, there is." Shane said. "You already saw the note from McLean."

"McLean didn't write that note." Eva said, with a smile.

"How do you know?" Alejandro asked, his tone skeptical.

"Come on Alejandro, don't be an idiot." said Eva. "We all had McLean as a teacher so we should all be able to recognize his handwriting by now, don't you think?"

"You know, now that she mentions it, there was something weird about the way some of the letters were written." said Gwen. "I should know too. Nikki and I spent hours helping McLean grade papers, so we got an extended look at his handwriting and I think Eva's right. That note wasn't written by McLean."

"Then who was it written by?" Justin asked, glancing around the room.

"The only other person who could have written it." Gwen answered, turning towards Shane as she spoke. "It would take someone of extraordinary skill to forge McLean's handwriting that well, because he has some very unique nuances to his style. And from what I've observed of all of your handwriting styles, none of you are that skilled. Neither am I for that matter. But Shane might be."

"Come on Gwen, you can't be serious." said Shane. "I don't know how to forge another person's handwriting."

"No, I think you do." Gwen said, with a smile. "You're not as skilled as you could be, but you do know how."

Shane glanced around the room, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. He could see Duncan and Eva's victorious smiles and the growing looks of suspicion on the faces of some of the others. He swallowed, his cover beginning to falter, but quickly regained his composure. "Okay, so, maybe I am good at forging handwriting, but that doesn't mean I'm working for McLean." he said, a slight hint of desperation in his voice.

"But why else would you need to know that particular skill?" Duncan asked, with a wicked smile that made Shane shiver.

Shane didn't answer, but his silence was all the answer the others needed to hear. He was guilty of working with McLean and they all knew it now, or did they? He turned to Bridgette, his look pleading, but she was not looking at him.

"Here's my question." said Owen. "If you forged the note, how did you know about Jude and Starr?"

"I was in the park and I saw McLean taking them." Shane offered lamely.

"Yeah right." Ron muttered. "If that's true, why didn't you do anything to help them?"

"I didn't want to risk getting caught myself." Shane answered, not looking at Ron. "That's why I forged the note, so it wouldn't seem suspicious that I hadn't helped them."

"Well that plan worked out real well for you, didn't it?" said Gwen, her tone full of sarcasm and loathing.

Again Shane didn't answer. He could sense that he was losing the room and he made one last desperate attempt to keep them on his side. "Please listen to me." he begged. "Why would I work with McLean? Why would I betray you like this? Think about it. You can't prove anything. None of you know for sure if I was at any of the kidnappings, so what choice do you have but to continue trusting me?"

"Oh, but we do have proof." said Duncan, with a smile. "You were the one who took LeShawna and Marlowe last night. It was you Shane and here's the proof." With that Duncan thrust a small stack of pictures onto the table. The pictures showed Shane breaking in to the dorm building and exiting moments later with two unconscious bodies that were obviously LeShawna and Marlowe.

"Where did you get those?" Shane demanded, glaring at Duncan.

"They're from the security cameras on the dorm building." Duncan replied. "I got them from the head of the CSU security team earlier today."

"Well, it looks like you win this round." Shane said, with a smile.

"You bastard." Bridgette breathed. "Is that all this is to you? A game?"

"No, it's much more than that, but I'm not the mastermind." said Shane. "McLean is and now, I think I'll be taking my leave."

"You can't possibly think that we're just gonna let you walk out of here now that we know the truth." said Duncan.

"Actually, I can." said Shane. "Because you don't really have a choice." With that, he drew a large handgun and shot Eva twice in the chest before bolting for the door. For a second the others stood in shock and then Duncan, Geoff, D.J., Alejandro, Justin, Tyler, Chef, and Dr. McLellen took off after him, murder in all their eyes. Bridgette and Gwen moved to help Eva, but it was obvious there wasn't much they could do.

"Promise me...you'll...kill..." Eva gasped, before choking on her blood, death taking her.

"I promise you Eva." Bridgette said, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I promise you. I'll kill McLean and Shane if it's the last thing I do."

**A/N: And that's that. So now we know where Shane's true allegiance lays, something I know some of you have been suspecting for quite some time now. Oh, and yes, that was Eva's exit as well. She has officially joined the deceased, so bummer for her. Anyway, the title of this chapter, "Stabbed in the Back", refers to Shane's betrayal, as no one was physically stabbed in the back. So, what's coming next, now that Shane is the enemy? Keep reading to find out, cuz it's gonna be good.**


	22. The Last One Taken

The shock of Shane's betrayal and Eva's death hung, thick and oppressive, over the house the next morning. Bridgette had spent the entire night awake, unable to come to terms with the horrible truths that had been revealed the day before. She could not believe that Shane had been working for McLean the whole time. How had she not seen that sooner? Why hadn't she been able to see the truth when it had been right in front of her the whole time? But she already knew the answers, even before she asked the questions. She hadn't seen the truth because she hadn't wanted to, she'd never even had a reason to be suspicious. Shane had seemed like a genuine friend and she had wanted to believe that he was. She had believed that he was and now Eva was dead because of it. Another of her friends had lost their life because of her inability to face the truth and as this realization washed over her Bridgette knew that this conflict would not end until she had faced McLean and taken his life. It was not a comforting thought, but it was the only answer, for Bridgette could no longer allow her friends to die for her, not when it was her battle to fight.

At that moment, Duncan entered the room, his look grim. He, Geoff, and the others had returned late last night empty handed. They had lost Shane's trail soon after leaving the house to search for him and had searched nearly the entire town with no luck. Bridgette knew they were disappointed, especially Duncan who had been the first to figure out Shane was a traitor, but she couldn't help feeling relieved they hadn't found him. True, Shane would have been severely outnumbered if they had, but Bridgette doubted that would have mattered much and was grateful none of them had been hurt. Still, it would have been nice to have gotten some revenge on Shane for all that he had done or to have gotten some answers out of him about what McLean was planning. It was too late now and Bridgette doubted they would ever know the full truth.

"Well this fucking sucks." Duncan muttered, his voice bringing Bridgette out of her thoughts. "Now we'll never gain the upper hand."

"Don't say that Duncan." Bridgette said, though she knew he was right. "We can still win this thing, even without Shane." She felt sick mentioning his name and turned away from Duncan to hide her tears.

"Yeah, that's true, I guess." Duncan muttered. "I just wish we had figured him out sooner. I always thought something was off about him, but it wasn't until recently that I had begun to suspect he was working for McLean. Fuck, why couldn't I have figured it out sooner?"

"It wasn't your job to figure it out Duncan." Bridgette said, turning to look at him again. "We all should have been questioning his motives, but we didn't. And now it's too late."

"To be fair, none of you had a reason to question him." said Duncan. "Hell, the only reason I did is because I'm suspicious of everyone. It's an unfortunate side effect of the shitty life I've lived."

Bridgette smiled, somehow comforted by Duncan's words. "I just wish we knew why he betrayed us." she said, after a moment of silence.

"I think I know we can find out." Duncan said, glancing at her.

"How?" Bridgette asked. "You guys couldn't find him last night and we can't exactly question him if we don't know where he is."

"True." Duncan conceded. "But we do have someone here who might know some things about Shane. I mean, if he and Dr. McLellen really were so close, then surely the good professor knows some things about him."

Bridgette nodded, understanding Duncan's point, and together they moved to find Dr. McLellen, eventually finding him in the living room with the Kings. They seemed to be expecting Bridgette and Duncan, as though they knew they were about to be questioned.

"Bridgette, Duncan, so nice of you to join us." Ron said, his tone unusually chipper.

"You were expecting us?" Bridgette asked, taken aback by Ron's suddenly bright personality.

"You could say that, yes." Ron answered, glancing at his fellow Kings.

"Well, we have some questions for you." Duncan said, not bothering with formalities. "Specifically we have some questions for the professor."

"And I would be delighted to answer your questions." Dr. McLellen said, inclining his head. "But let us wait for everyone to gather, for what I have to say is of importance to us all."

Duncan sighed and rolled his eyes, his impatience getting the better of him, but he kept his comments to himself. Bridgette simply nodded and took a seat beside Chef, content to wait for the others to arrive.

* * *

><p>A short time later, once the entire group was gathered in the living room, Duncan turned his steely gaze towards Dr. McLellen. For a moment they simply stared at one another and then Duncan asked his question. "So, why did Shane betray us?" he asked, ignoring the looks he got from the others.<p>

"Why would Dr. McLellen know the answer to that?" Geoff asked, with an incredulous glance at Duncan.

"Because Shane was his aid or whatever." Duncan said. "I guess I just assumed he might know some things about Shane the rest of us would never figure out, let alone know."

Geoff opened his mouth to argue, but Dr. McLellen held up hand to silence him. "Do not argue Geoff." he said. "Duncan's question is valid and he has every right to ask it."

"So then, you do know why Shane betrayed us?" Gwen asked, perplexed.

"I do." Dr. McLellen answered. He said nothing more, as if he was waiting for someone to ask him how he knew.

"And how do you know this?" Wyatt asked, with a suspicious glance at the professor.

"I know Shane's reasons because he is my son." Dr. McLellen answered, his voice full of sorrow, as though this fact pained him.

The silence following this statement was nearly tangible and Bridgette could tell none of them had been expecting this. She certainly hadn't been. She had been expecting him to give some sort of long winded, philosophical answer concerning good and evil, or some sociological answer concerning how Shane had been influenced by society. But she certainly hadn't been expecting him to say Shane was his son.

"Wait, wait, hold up. Could you repeat that please?" said Owen, his shock just as evident as everyone else's.

"Shane Shoals is my son." Dr. McLellen said again, as though this was a trivial fact.

"Seriously?" said Geoff. "He's your son? Seriously?"

"Yes." Dr. McLellen answered. "He is, and always has been, my one and only son."

"So why is he working with McLean?" Wyatt asked.

"The answer to that question is very complex and complicated, though it is not beyond your ability to understand." Dr. McLellen answered. "I suppose it all starts with Shane's relationship with me and his mother. Specifically with me."

"And what would that relationship be, prey tell?" Alejandro asked.

"Shane's relationship with me has always been strained." Dr. McLellen answered. "His mother and I divorced when he was ten and I believe he has always blamed himself for that, at least in part. He also resents me, for I rarely had time to spend with him while he was growing up, as I was always so busy with my work. You see, in addition to being a professor here at CSU, I have also spent a good portion of my life out in the world observing various subcultures in an effort to gain a better understanding of how they function within our larger society and I was often absent from Shane's life. That is why his last name is different from mine. Shoals is his mother's maiden name and he adopted it in an effort to distance himself from me." The professor fell silent then, his gaze far off, as though he was reliving a memory.

"Okay, but that doesn't really explain why he's with your brother." said Gwen, her voice bringing Dr. McLellen back to reality.

"Shane has always had a close relationship with my brother." Dr. McLellen answered, his tone bitter. "Because I was not there for him, he adopted my brother as a surrogate father of sorts, in an attempt to gain the fatherly love he felt he couldn't get from me. I had begun to accept that Shane and I would never have a good relationship until about a year ago when he came to me and asked me if he could be my teacher's aid. It was the first time he had truly acknowledged me in years and truth be told it was the first time I had acknowledged him as well, in several years at least."

"So Shane is working for McLean out of some twisted idea of loyalty." Bridgette concluded, glancing at Dr. McLellen.

"Yes, though I think Shane is actually work _with_ Chris rather than _for _him." Dr. McLellen answered. "It seems unlikely that Chris would make Shane a lackey."

"Either way, it's a bad combination." said Chef, with a knowing nod.

"What makes you say that, besides the obvious?" asked Bridgette.

"We also know about Shane's relationship with McLean." Chef answered, gesturing at Ron and Coach Halder as he spoke. "As you know, we have known Dr. McLellen and McLean for quite some time. In fact we all attended Hayward together, but that's not the point. The point is, Shane and McLean are a dangerous combination because they work so well together. They think alike and they share a similar view of the world, especially women. There is a reason they were so effective at subverting our plans to keep everyone safe and it has nothing to do with Shane passing McLean information. The reason they were so effective is their mutual understanding and desire to punish those they feel have wronged them."

"Well, then we have to find a way to disrupt that connection." said Geoff, his voice full of determination.

"No." said Bridgette. "You will do nothing. This is my fight."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Duncan demanded. "What do you mean this is your fight?" He was staring at her like she was crazy and he wasn't the only one.

"McLean is doing all of this to get to me." Bridgette said. "I'm the one he wants and it is my responsibility to end this, alone."

"But you're not alone." said Gwen. "We're all here to help and we have just as much to lose as you do Bridgette."

"No." Bridgette said. "I will not allow the rest of you to continue to put your lives in danger because of me. Eva's death proved to me that I am the only one who can end this and I will, by myself, understand? I do not want any of you doing anything else, got it?"

"But Bridgette-" Geoff began, before Bridgette's glare shut him up.

"I said no Geoff." she snapped. "I am finishing this on my own and that is final." With that she stormed away, leaving the others in a dumbfounded silence as they tried to process her words.

* * *

><p>Several hours later Geoff met Duncan in the back yard. They were both fuming, Bridgette's words having driven them both past the point of irritation and into true anger.<p>

"God, Bridgette can be so selfish sometimes." Geoff fumed, glaring at the house. "Is she fucking insane, telling us to let her finish this on her own? Doesn't she understand that we all love her and want to help? Doesn't she understand that she needs us?"

"Obviously she doesn't." Duncan muttered, not meeting Geoff's gaze.

"So what, we're just supposed to let her go after McLean alone?" Geoff demanded. "Do you want her to commit suicide like that?"

"No, of course not." Duncan snapped. "And that's why we're not going to let her."

Geoff gave him a skeptical glance, as if to ask how do you propose we stop her? And then he saw the look on Duncan's face. "I assume you have a plan?" he asked.

"Yes." Duncan answered. "We're gonna kill McLean before Bridgette gets a chance to and we're gonna take out Shane while we're at it."

Geoff grinned, liking the plan, and they set off, hoping none of the others spotted them leaving the house. A short time later they arrived at the heavily wooded park at the edge of town which was one of the few places they hadn't throughly checked the night before.

"You really think Shane is in there?" Geoff asked, glancing sidelong at Duncan.

"It's worth a shot, isn't it?" Duncan replied. "We've checked pretty much everywhere else in town and this place seems like the perfect hideout for a sick bastard like McLean and his little lackey."

Geoff shrugged, not really sure what to think. He had to admit Duncan did have a good point, but he was unconvinced Shane and McLean would use such an obvious hiding place. Still, it was worth a look. At any rate, even if they weren't in the park, then at least he and Duncan would have ruled it out as a hiding place.

Cautiously they made their way into the park, keeping an eye out for any sign of McLean or Shane. However, it quickly became apparent that there was no one else there. And then they heard something that made them both freeze.

"Did you hear that dude?" Geoff asked, glancing at Duncan, who nodded. A second later, something came flying out of a tree, hitting Geoff square in the chest, knocking him on his ass.

Duncan spun in time to realize the the object was Shane, dressed in black and carrying a large hunting knife, which he held to Geoff's throat. "Drop it." he snarled at Duncan, indicating the knife Duncan carried. Duncan hesitated, not wanting to disarm himself in Shane's presence, but the look on Shane's face was enough to convince him to obey.

Shane smiled and relaxed his hold on Geoff. "Well, I can see you two really care about Bridgette, don't you? Otherwise, why would you be out here looking for me?"

"Maybe we were just hoping to kick your ass." Geoff muttered, before elbowing Shane in the gut. Shane gasped and staggered backwards, while Geoff launched himself to his feet, running over to Duncan once he was standing.

Shane stood, gasping and launched himself towards the other two, only to have Duncan's fist connect with his face. Shane reeled backwards but quickly regained his footing, shaking off the blow as though it had been nothing. He then spun, the heel of his boot connecting with Duncan's forehead, sending the punk sprawling. A quick jab to Geoff's throat took the surfer down, before Shane turned to continue beating on Duncan. He landed several more well placed kicks, grinning in satisfaction at the sound of Duncan's ribs breaking. With Duncan writhing in pain Shane turned back to Geoff, who was still recovering from the blow to his throat. Shane caught him with another quick jab, this time to the face, which he followed with an elbow to the temple, knocking Geoff out.

With his quarry now incapacitated Shane turned back to Duncan, a grin splitting his face. "Well, you're certainly not much of a fighter, for a punk." he said, his tone mocking. "Whatever, I got what I came for." With that he turned, grabbed Geoff's unconscious form, and disappeared into the gathering darkness.

"No, Geoff...damn it." Duncan gasped, clutching his broken ribs as he tried to stand. The only thought in his mind was he needed to get back to the house and let the others know Geoff had been taken, but he didn't have the strength to stand, let alone walk. Cursing himself for his own stupidity Duncan tried to stand again, only to collapse in pain.

* * *

><p>A short time later, back at the house, Bridgette and Gwen sat in the living room waiting for Geoff and Duncan to return. They had discovered that the boys had left about an hour earlier and Bridgette had been on the verge of a nervous breakdown ever since. Gwen was doing what she could to keep her friend calm, but it was virtually impossible given that Geoff and Duncan were the two men Bridgette loved. They had no idea where Geoff and Duncan had gone, but they could guess, and it was this fact that was making Bridgette so nervous, as she had made it perfectly clear she wanted no one else fighting this battle for her anymore.<p>

Bridgette was about to call Geoff for the tenth time, when there was a sudden knock at the door. She and Gwen ran to the door and Bridgette threw it open, finding an obviously injured Duncan standing on the front porch.

"Duncan, what happened?" Gwen asked, concern in her voice.

"Shane." he gasped. "We were looking for Shane and we found him. He fought us, handed us our asses really, and then-" He fell silent, seeming to notice Bridgette for the first time.

"And then what Duncan?" Bridgette demanded.

"He took Geoff." Duncan said, hanging his head. "He took Geoff and I couldn't stop him. I'm sorry Bridgette. I am so fucking sorry."

Bridgette didn't respond. She seemed to be in shock, for she just stood there, staring at him in disbelief before dissolving into tears as the truth washed over her.

**A/N: And so Geoff joins the kidnapped. Score another victory for McLean. I know you're all probably getting tired of seeing McLean hold the upper hand, but don't worry. Things are going to get better soon, sort of. Anyway, how'd you like the twist about Shane being Dr. McLellen's son? Pretty fucked up, huh? I decided to throw that in there just to make the story that much more complex. Also, it worked as an explanation for why Shane is working with McLean. Anyway, that's all for now folks, so stay tuned for the next chapter.**


	23. A New Ally

Two days after Geoff's kidnapping Bridgette sat alone in her room, her mind racing, as she tried to figure out how to get him back. She had spent the majority of the last two days alone and hadn't spoken to Duncan since he had told her Geoff had been taken. She wasn't sure why she wasn't speaking to him, it wasn't his fault Geoff had been taken after all. But Bridgette couldn't help feeling a sense of disappointment with Duncan, especially since she knew it had been his idea to search for Shane that had gotten Geoff caught. Still, despite her disappointment, she couldn't say with certainty that she was angry with Duncan and she hoped he understood that. She just needed time to process everything before she could move forward and she needed to process things alone. She had only left her room to get food and use the bathroom in the last two days and the only person she had spoken to had been Gwen, and even that had been brief. By now, her friends were beginning to become concerned about her, though Bridgette didn't seem to care. The only thing on her mind was finding Geoff and the others who had been taken and finding a way to defeat McLean. She was still adamant about finishing things on her own, but it was becoming increasingly apparent that her friends weren't going to let that happen. Still, Bridgette was at least going to try to work alone, if she could just find a way to search for McLean without alerting the others to her absence. She was just about to sneak out through her bedroom window when there was a knock on her door. Sighing, Bridgette moved to answer the door, opening it to find Gwen standing in the hallway, her look anxious.

"What do you want Gwen?" Bridgette asked, her tone irritated.

"We're concerned about you Bridgette." Gwen answered, ignoring Bridgette's irritation.

"Yeah, well, I don't need you to worry about me." Bridgette said, turning away from her friend. "I have too many other things to worry about without you trying to comfort me. As I said before, this is my fight and I will fight it alone."

"Come on Bridgette, stop being so fucking stubborn." Gwen said, her tone irritated now. "You know you can't win this thing on your own and you're a fool for trying. You need us and we're not going anywhere, so stop acting like we're not here."

"Fuck you." Bridgette snapped, rounding on Gwen with a look of cold fury. "You think I want to feel like this? You think this is easy for me? I have a demented pedophile who wants revenge on me and his means of getting that revenge is to go after the people I care about. Do you think I like seeing my friends hurt by that bastard? I'm doing this, working alone, to keep you all safe. Don't you understand that? I can't bare to see any of you hurt, I can't bare to lose anyone else, I can't-" Her voice broke and she dissolved into tears, all her rage and sorrow and pain pouring out of her in a torrent.

For a moment Gwen simply watched her friend unravel and then she moved to comfort her, placing an arm around Bridgette's shoulders. "It's okay Bridgette." she said, her voice barely a whisper. "It's okay. I understand why you want to keep us safe, but it shouldn't be your burden to bare alone. You have all of us and we want to help Bridgette. We want to help. Don't shut us out now."

Bridgette looked at her friend, her gaze blurred by tears, and smiled. "Thank you Gwen." she whispered. "Thank you. You're right. I can't do this on my own and I shouldn't have tried. I'm sorry for that, it won't happen again."

"Good." said Gwen, with a smile of her own. "Now come on, the others are waiting for us downstairs. I think the Kings have a new plan."

Bridgette nodded and got to her feet before following Gwen downstairs. They entered the living room to find what was left of their group gathered and waiting, all of them looking determined. It was comforting to know that they hadn't given up hope, despite everything that had happened. They each had reasons to quit, and yet they were all there. Duncan, the Kings, Dr. McLellen, Wyatt, Owen, Alejandro, Justin, Tyler, and D.J., they were all still there. And it was then that Bridgette realized that though they all had reasons to quit they all had just as many reasons to keep fighting. She smiled at them as she entered the room and they all applauded her, glad to have her back in working condition.

"Welcome back Bridgette." Dr. McLellen said, with a smile that made him look ten years younger than his forty seven years.

"Thank you." Bridgette said, returning his smile. "Thank you all. I'm sorry I shut down like that. I'm sorry for turning my back on you. I'm sorry for losing hope. I want you all to know how much it means to me that you're here, for I could not do this on my own. There is only one way we can defeat McLean and that's by working together."

"And that's exactly what we'll do." said Wyatt, his tone full of determination. "And don't worry about breaking down. We all understand how hard this is for you. It's hard for all of us, but we all understand that you carry the brunt of the burden. But I promise Bridgette, from this day forward you will no longer carry that burden alone. We will all help you carry it, because McLean is an enemy to us all and we all have a responsibility to rid the world of him."

"Damn right we do." said Owen. "I've never been one to hold a grudge, but I hate McLean more than anyone else in world."

"I think that's a feeling we can all relate to Owen." said Duncan. "He's taken too much from all of us and he has to pay." He turned to Bridgette then, barely suppressing his guilt. "Bridgette I just want to say again how sorry I am Geoff was taken. It was my fault he was out there that night and I will do everything in my power to get him back."

Bridgette smiled and nodded, feeling tears burn at the backs of her eyes. "Thank you Duncan." she whispered. "And know that I do not blame you for Geoff's kidnapping. It may have been your idea to look for Shane, but Geoff went with you of his own accord. You didn't force him to go and you didn't purposefully lead him into a trap. You had no idea Shane was going to be there, so please, stop blaming yourself."

Duncan grinned, his relief that she was not mad at him plain for them all to see. Bridgette returned his grin and then turned to the Kings, her look expectant. "So, do you three have a new plan?" she asked.

"Unfortunately, no, we do not." said Coach Halder. "What made you assume that we would, Miss Wells?"

"Gwen said you might." Bridgette answered. "I just thought I'd ask, to be sure."

"Well, as I said, we do not have any new plans at the moment." Coach Halder said.

"So then, what are we going to do?" Justin asked, glancing around the room. "I mean, if we don't have a plan, how are we supposed to defeat McLean and save our friends?"

"I don't know Justin." Bridgette answered. "But we'll figure something out. I'm sure of it."

Justin nodded, feeding off Bridgette's confidence. The others seemed to feed off her confidence as well, for they all appeared ready for a long and tiring planning session.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Bridgette awoke feeling better than she had in days. She and her friends had spent most of the previous night coming up with plans for how to confront McLean. They had not made much progress, but Bridgette was confident they would have a breakthrough soon. She wasn't sure what that breakthrough would be, but she had a feeling it was just around the corner.<p>

Content that the answer was not far off, Bridgette made her way to the kitchen for some coffee. She had just begun to make a pot when there was a knock at the front door. Muttering to herself Bridgette made her way to the door, flinging it open to find her campus tour guide, Cecily Jones, standing on the front porch.

"Cecily?" Bridgette asked. "What are you doing here so early?"

"I wish to help." Cecily answered, ignoring Bridgette's surprise.

"Help with what?" Bridgette asked, though she could guess.

"Your war with the man known as Christopher McLean." Cecily answered.

"How do you know about that?" Bridgette asked, stunned by Cecily's admission.

"Bridgette, everyone knows about it." Cecily answered. "I mean seriously, did you really think something like that would stay a secret?"

Bridgette didn't answer. She didn't know what to say. Honestly she'd had no idea that anyone outside of her group had been aware of their battle with McLean, though Cecily's point made sense. And now that she thought about it, Bridgette found it somewhat odd that no police had gotten involved, as one would think that an escaped criminal like McLean would have hundreds of law enforcement agents on his tail. But apparently that wasn't the case.

"How did you find out?" Bridgette asked, with a suspicious glance at Cecily.

"I overheard some people talking about it in class one day." Cecily answered, betraying no hint of untruthfulness.

"Okay." Bridgette said. "And how do think you can help?"

"I would prefer to have Gwen present before I tell you." Cecily answered.

"Well, she's sleeping at the moment." Bridgette said. "I guess you can come in and wait for her to wake up."

Cecily nodded and stepped inside, following Bridgette to the kitchen, where they found Duncan making a cup of coffee. He glanced at them as they entered, immediately suspicious. "Who's your friend Bridgette?" he asked.

"This is Cecily Jones." Bridgette answered. "She gave me my first tour of the CSU campus and she wants to help us find McLean."

"Oh really?" Duncan asked. "And do you mind telling me how the fuck she came to posses knowledge about our little conflict with McLean?"

"I overheard some of my classmates talking about it." Cecily answered. "You may not realize it, but your situation is pretty big news. There have been dozens of reports about it on the local news station and in the newspaper."

"How is that possible?" Duncan asked. "None of us have done any interviews with any news people, have we?" He glanced at Bridgette, as if unsure his statement was correct.

"No, we haven't." Bridgette answered. "But that doesn't mean someone couldn't have found a way to get a hold of the information."

Duncan opened his mouth to argue, but at that moment, Gwen entered the kitchen, followed by the others. She stopped short upon spotting Cecily, who was sipping a cup of coffee quietly in the corner of the room.

"Cecily, what are you doing here?" Gwen asked, perplexed.

"She says she's here to help." Duncan muttered, with a cold, suspicious glance at Cecily.

"Help?" Wyatt asked. "How can she help? How does she even know about this?"

"She says there have been news reports about it." Duncan answered. "Pure bullshit, if you ask me. I think she's another spy."

"Now hold on Duncan." said Owen. "We have no proof of that and, to be fair, you're suspicious of everyone."

"Yeah and my suspicions about Shane turned out to be correct, remember?" Duncan said.

"That doesn't mean your right this time though." said Tyler, with an irritated glance at Duncan. "Owen is right after all, you are suspicious of pretty much everyone."

"Dude, shut up." Duncan snapped. "You don't even know this Cecily chick, so why are you so fucking certain we can trust her?"

"You don't know her either, so why are you so certain we can't?" Tyler asked.

Duncan didn't have a response for that, so he kept his mouth shut, choosing to glare at Cecily instead. She seemed not to notice his suspicions and appeared to be preoccupied with her coffee.

"Tyler makes a good point, but so does Duncan." Chef said. "So the question is, how can we know for sure that Cecily is on our side?"

This seemed to draw Cecily out of her thoughts, for she looked up, fixing Chef with her piercing gaze. "I know where McLean is keeping your friends." she said, her tone serious.

"Wait, what?" Owen asked. "You know where McLean's base is?"

"Well, it's not really a base, but yes, I do know where it is." Cecily answered, still looking at Chef, who seemed unnerved by her gaze.

"How, exactly, is that supposed to make us trust you?" Duncan asked.

"I'm afraid I don't understand." Cecily answered.

"You say you know where McLean is keeping our friends, but how would you know that unless you're working for him?" Duncan asked.

"Oh Duncan, you're imagination is really a thing of wonder." Cecily said, with an amused smile. "I know the location of McLean's base because it's in the one and only logical place it could be in. I simply used deductive reasoning to figure it out."

"And where would this place be, prey tell?" Alejandro asked.

"The Halsenburg Mansion." Cecily answered. "It's an old mansion just outside of town. That's where McLean is hiding."

The silence following this revelation was palpable, though Bridgette could sense that this was not a good thing. The reactions of the Kings and Dr. McLellen to Cecily's news made Bridgette's skin crawl, for she had never seen them look so scared. Whatever was in the Halsenburg Mansion , it was surely not good, but Bridgette had come to far to let that stop her. One way or another, she was going to that mansion, even if it killed her.

**A/N: So now we know where McLean is hiding, or do we? We think we do, but it could be a trick. Anyway, to find out, you'll just have to keep reading. Also, when, or if, we find out for sure that the mansion is McLean's base, there will be some unpleasant things waiting for Bridgette and her friends. So be prepared, we're almost at the tipping point, where the tides will begin to turn.**


	24. The House that Death Built

"So you're telling us that McLean is keeping our friends in an old mansion?" Duncan asked, with a skeptical glance at Cecily. "How is that possible? I mean, wouldn't the people who live there know an escaped criminal was using their house as his base? Or is this mansion somehow connected to McLean's family?"

"No, the Halsenburg Mansion has no ties to our family." Dr. McLellen answered.

"Also, the mansion has been abandoned for ten years." said Cecily. "That's why it makes perfect sense for McLean to use it as a base."

Duncan had no response to this and neither did any of the others. They were all in a state of shock. It was odd, Bridgette thought. She had expected a joyful outcry at the discovery of McLean's hiding place, but all the news seemed to have done was to strike them all dumb. Perhaps it was how they had found out the location of McLean's base that had them all so dumbfounded. Yes that had to be it. It was the only explanation that made any sort of sense. They simply hadn't been expecting Cecily to be the one who told them where their friends were, and they had been caught off guard by her admission. But even as Bridgette thought this, she wondered if there was some other reason why everyone was so shocked, like the way the Kings and Dr. McLellen had reacted to Cecily's news. It was certainly unnerving to see the Kings so scared and Bridgette was determined to find out why. What was it about this mansion that made them so nervous?

"So, how do you know so much about this mansion Cecily?" Bridgette asked, eying the other girl with a hint of suspicion for the first time.

"I've lived in Fort Columbus for my entire life and I've heard the stories about the place." Cecily answered, with a friendly smile.

"What stories?" Owen asked, his tone nervous.

"The Halsenburg Mansion is supposedly haunted." Cecily answered. "I don't know all the details, but some pretty bad things are rumored to have happened in that mansion."

"What sort of bad things?" Wyatt asked, his tone nervous as well.

"Murders mostly." Cecily answered. "Or at least deaths. There is a reason the mansion has been nicknamed 'The House that Death Built'."

"Actually many of those deaths have been confirmed." said Dr. McLellen. "The mansion was inhabited by five different families over the span of a hundred and two years, and in that span at least thirty eight people died in the mansion or on the grounds."

"And some of those deaths still don't have a cause." said Cecily.

"That's correct." said Dr. McLellen. "A number of the deaths were under suspicious circumstances, but the cases remain unsolved."

"Okay, I'm starting to see why Cecily thinks McLean is there." said D.J., with a glance around the room.

"Yeah, me too." Tyler admitted. "Sounds like a really unpleasant place to me."

"You don't even know the half of it Tyler." said Cecily. "There are rumors that some of the deaths were murders committed as part of ritual sacrifices to some sort of dark power. Apparently, Edward Halsenburg, whose family first built the mansion, was really in to that shit."

"Man that is some seriously fucked up shit." Owen said, suppressing a shudder.

"Isn't it though?" Cecily asked, a note of excitement in her voice. "I mean, I don't get a kick out that kind of stuff, but it is interesting to learn about it, isn't it?"

"We obviously have different interpretations of the word interesting." said Owen.

"Whatever, I still think it's interesting." Cecily muttered.

"So, um, sorry to interrupt your discussion, but how does all of this help us find our friends?" Justin asked.

"Glad you asked." said Cecily. "It helps because, according to the rumors, there are a pair of secret rooms located beneath the mansion. I would assume that those rooms are where McLean is keeping you friends."

"What if they don't exist though?" Wyatt asked, perplexed.

"Oh, they exist alright." said Cecily, with a wicked smile.

"How do you know that?" Alejandro asked, just as confused as Wyatt.

"She knows because the rooms were discovered a couple of years ago." Dr. McLellen answered, with a knowing nod.

"Wait, I thought the mansion was vacant?" said Gwen. "So how did someone find the rooms?" She glanced from Cecily to Dr. McLellen, searching for any sign that they were lying.

"It is vacant." Cecily confirmed. "But, there is a tradition here in Fort Columbus of daring people to spend the night in the mansion. It's used as a hazing ritual at CSU and the high school. Kids also dare each other to spend Halloween there."

"Apparently, some kids were roaming the mansion one night a couple of years ago and one of them stumbled across the entrance to the secret rooms." said Dr. McLellen.

"Isn't that dangerous though?" Bridgette asked. "Sneaking around an abandoned mansion, I mean?" She was staring at Dr. McLellen like he should have stopped those kids.

"Yes, it's extremely dangerous." Dr. McLellen answered. "But kids are going to do what they want sometimes. I'm not saying I condone their actions, but every attempt to keep kids off the grounds has failed. It's a large part of the reason why there have been ten additional deaths on the grounds since the mansion was vacated."

"Do you think it's too dangerous for us to search the mansion for McLean?" Owen asked.

"No, not if we're careful." Dr. McLellen answered, after a moment of hesitation. "However, if we are going to go exploring the Halsenburg Mansion we need to have a solid plan first."

"I assume you have something in mind?" Duncan asked, cocking his eyebrow in speculation.

"I do." Dr. McLellen answered. "But before I tell you my plan, I must ask, is everyone on board with this? Are you all willing to send a team to search the mansion?"

The others all nodded and Dr. McLellen set about laying out his plan. It wasn't a complicated plan, but Dr. McLellen wanted to be absolutely certain everyone understood it. As such, it would be another three days before the plan was put into action, so as to assure that every member of the group understood exactly what was going to happen.

* * *

><p>Three days later, Bridgette stood on the front porch waiting for the others to get ready. The planning session had taken its toll on them and there had been some objections, but ultimately an agreement had been reached. The final plan broke down like this; Bridgette, Cecily, Duncan, Gwen, Owen, and the Kings would go investigate the House that Death Built, as Cecily insisted on calling it, while Dr. McLellen, Wyatt, Justin, Tyler, Alejandro, and D.J. held down the fort. The two teams had finally been agreed upon the night before and Bridgette was confident they would succeed in finding their friends. At that moment, Duncan stepped out onto the porch, his look grim and determined.<p>

"Well Blondy, here we go." he said. "You ready for this?"

"Yes." Bridgette answered. "I was born ready for this. Though, truthfully I hoped I'd never have to do it, you know?"

"Yeah, I know." Duncan answered. "Killing someone isn't going to be easy, even if that someone is a sick bastard who deserves it."

"Don't get too far ahead of yourself Duncan." Chef said from behind them, his voice full of warning. "We don't know for sure that McLean is going to be there, so I don't want any of you going into this thinking we're guaranteed victory."

Duncan nodded, though he still wore a look of confidence. Chef returned his nod and turned to the others. "Is everyone ready?" he asked. They all nodded and Chef smiled. "Alright, then lets get moving people." With that he set off, the others quickly following him.

A short time later they arrived on the outskirts of Fort Columbus, a large hill coming into view as the trees parted. Bridgette glanced up at the top of the hill, taking in the sight of the large, foreboding mansion which sat atop the hill. The sight made her shiver, fear and excitement mixing within her.

"Well, there it is." said Cecily, gesturing at the mansion. "The Halsenburg Mansion, also known as the House that Death Built." She smiled, as if she enjoyed the sight of such a horrible place and began walking towards the hill.

The others followed her, a sense of uncertainty falling over the group, as though the mansion was sucking the confidence out of them. Bridgette glanced at Duncan, who still looked determined. She glanced at Gwen, who looked like she was about to vomit. Bridgette moved to walk beside her friend, extending a hand, which Gwen took.

"Don't worry, everything will be okay." Bridgette said, smiling in an attempt to convey confidence even though she felt none. Gwen simply nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

A moment later they arrived at a large wrought iron gate, beyond which the mansion loomed, dark against the sky. Mounted on the gate was a rusted plaque which bore the name of the mansion. There was a heavy chain wrapped around the gate and held in place by a large lock.

"How is McLean getting in if the gate is locked?" Owen asked, his voice unsteady.

"There are other entrances to the estate." Cecily answered. "Everything beyond this gate belongs to the estate grounds."

"We're not going to search all of it, are we?" Gwen asked, a note of fear in her voice.

"No, only the mansion." Cecily answered. "Though there are other ways to access the secret rooms. However, since I don't know where they are we'll have to go through the mansion."

"Remember the plan." Chef said, as he drew a pair of bolt cutters from his bag. "Owen, Ron, Coach and I will check the upper floors while Bridgette, Duncan, Gwen, and Cecily explore the basement and search for the secret rooms."

The others nodded and Chef cut the lock, which hit the ground with a thud. The chains rattled ominously as Chef pulled them off the gate and pushed it open. It creaked, the sound making the hairs on the back of Bridgette's neck stand up. After taking a moment to collect themselves the group cautiously moved forward, all of them on high alert for any sign of danger.

Bridgette took in everything as they made their way towards the front doors. She could tell that the mansion had once been a grand structure, but time and the elements had ravaged the exterior and much of that former glory was now gone. Ivy grew unchecked across the front of the house and there were several windows that had been smashed. The grand chimney was crumbling and broken singles littered the ground, along with the glass from the smashed windows. A crumbling fountain stood in front of the mansion, the water within stagnant and putrid. There were stains on the driveway which may have been blood, but Bridgette couldn't tell if it was human of animal. She felt her stomach lurch at the sight of the stains, but managed to hold her lunch down. She took a deep breath and moved to join the others, who had reached the front doors. Once Bridgette had joined them, Chef cautiously pushed the doors open, revealing a grand entryway beyond which was the grand staircase which led to the upper floors.

Like the exterior, the interior of the mansion had once been a beautiful sight to behold, but time had taken its toll here as well. Everything was caked in a layer of dust and there were signs of recent animal activity. Bridgette was surprised to see furniture still stood in the living room off to the right as well as the dining room off to the left. Like the stairs, the furniture was caked with dust and animal droppings, though some of it looked like it had been recently disturbed.

"Someone has been here recently." Cecily whispered, indicating the pair of chairs located next to the grand fireplace.

"Yeah, but was it McLean or someone else?" Duncan asked, his voice also a whisper.

"Only one way to find out." Chef answered. "Let's split up. You four go investigate the basement and if you find the secret rooms let us know before entering them."

"Understood." Duncan said, with a nod. He then moved off to the left, motioning for Bridgette, Gwen, and Cecily to follow him.

"How do you know where you're going?" Bridgette whispered, glancing at Duncan, her eyes straining in the dim light.

"I don't, but I'm willing to bet the stairs to the basement are this way." Duncan answered. "What do you think Cecily?"

"I think your right." Cecily answered, switching on a flashlight as she spoke. The others did the same and together they made their way cautiously through the dining room, eventually finding the staircase they were looking for.

"Well, here goes nothing." Duncan muttered, before descending the stairs.

Bridgette took a deep breath and followed him, Gwen and Cecily right behind her. The darkness in the basement was oppressive, to the point where Bridgette could swear she could feel it pressing in around her. The pressure sucked the air from her lungs, making her gasp as she tried to regain her breath.

"Bridgette, you okay?" Gwen asked, peering at Bridgette through the darkness.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Bridgette answered. "Just had to catch my breath. The air is so oppressive down here."

"Ten years of sitting vacant will do that to a dwelling." Cecily said.

"Yeah, ten years is also apparently enough time for rats to shit all over everything." Duncan muttered, his tone annoyed.

"Well, what did you expect?" Cecily asked. "Were you expecting this place to still be in immaculate condition?"

"No, but, I wasn't expecting to wade through rat shit either." Duncan muttered.

"Come on Duncan, it's just shit." Gwen said, her tone amused. "We all produce it."

"Can we continue this conversation later please?" Bridgette asked. "We need to find the entrance to the secret rooms."

"Okay, sorry." said Duncan. "Let's go." He set off across the large room they were in, which had previously been the game room, judging from the large pool table that sat in one corner of the room. The girls quickly followed him, keen to stick together. As they made their way through the room they made sure to check for any sign of McLean, Shane, or their friends, but there was nothing to be found. Finally, after searching for what seemed like hours, Duncan found a hidden doorway behind one of the bookcases. He wrenched the door open, finding another staircase leading down.

"Well, I think we fucking found it." he said, triumph in his voice.

"Don't get cocky yet Duncan." Gwen said. "We still need to investigate a bit more before we can say for sure this is the secret room."

"But Chef said not to enter it until we were all here." Bridgette said, her tone concerned.

"The only way we can know for sure is if we investigate." Cecily said. "Come on Bridgette, don't you want to know if your friends are down there?"

Bridgette hesitated before nodding. She was certain they should wait for Owen and the Kings, but she couldn't deny that she wanted very badly to know what was down those stairs. So down they went, knowing they would have to deal with the consequences later.

At the bottom of the stairs was a large stone door with a rusty metal handle jutting out of it. There was a powerful stench of decay down here and Bridgette could feel the bile in the back of her throat. She took a deep breath, trying to control her urge to vomit and stood back while Duncan opened the door. The stench of decay hit them like a wave and for a moment none of them was able to do anything other than gag. Finally, after several minutes of dry heaving, Bridgette managed to look at what lay behind the door. The sight that greeted her was one of the most horrible things she had ever seen and before she could stop herself a scream of horror tore its way out of her, alerting the whole house to her presence.

**A/N: Well, there you go. They've made it into the mansion and it's just as creepy as Cecily said it was. We still don't know for sure if her information was correct, but we'll soon find out (of course, I already know, but I'm not gonna tell, cuz where's the fun in that?). Anyway, for anyone who is confused about Dr. McLellen's first line, here's the explanation. Duncan asked if the mansion has any ties to McLean's family, which means he was asking if it has any ties to McLellen's family as well, as the two are brothers. So there's the answer to that. What's in that room that made Bridgette scream? Stay tuned to find out.**


	25. Left for Dead

Bridgette's scream was still echoing in the cavernous room when the others spotted what had made her scream. The floor of the room was stained red with blood and there were wicked looking torture devices piled in the center of the room, but it was not these that had drawn Bridgette's attention. She was staring in horror at the object leaning against the nearest wall, and object that was actually a person, a person they hadn't seen since she had been taken ten days earlier.

"Oh God, Nikki." Bridgette breathed, barely containing her emotions. She and Gwen rushed into the room, hurrying over to their friend's side. Nikki was slumped against the wall, her weight resting on her knees. Her arms were stretched out on either side of her and were held to the wall by heavy chains which were connected to heavy iron shackles around her wrists. Her head was slumped forward, her hair concealing her face and she appeared to be dead.

Bridgette felt her heart constrict as she and Gwen knelt beside Nikki's motionless form. Shaking off her urge to scream Bridgette quickly checked for a pulse, eventually finding one, much to her and Gwen's relief. Nikki was alive, but she was unconscious and looked like she had been tortured. There were scrapes and cuts all over her arms, legs, and abdomen. Her breathing was shallow and uneven and it was obvious that she was severely dehydrated.

After a moment, Gwen gently placed her hand on Nikki's chin, lifting her head so they could get a better look at Nikki's face. Her face showed signs of torture as well, making Bridgette's blood surge with rage. There was a gruesome gash across Nikki's forehead and a livid bruise beneath her right eye. What had McLean done to her to leave her in such a state? Bridgette could think of many things McLean could have done, but none of them were pleasant, so she pushed the thoughts away.

At that moment Nikki's eyes fluttered open and she groaned, trying to focus on the two people in front of her. She muttered something incomprehensible, her eyes rolling in their sockets and then gasped, as if she was in pain.

"We've got to get these shackles off of her." Gwen said, desperation in her voice.

Bridgette nodded and turned to see Duncan and Cecily approaching. Both of them wore looks that were a mix of horror, disgust, and concern. It was strange seeing that mixture of emotions on Duncan's face, but Bridgette couldn't help agreeing with him. What they were witnessing was beyond description and they both knew McLean had to pay for this.

Deciding that notions of revenge were best left for later, Bridgette turned her attention back to Gwen and Nikki. Gwen was trying to pry the shackles off, with little success. "You guys mind helping me?" she asked, irritation in her voice now.

"Gwen, they're not going to come off that way." Bridgette said, her voice strained.

"Then how are we supposed to get her out?" Gwen demanded.

"We need a key." Cecily said. "Though I have no idea where one would be down here."

"Let's go look for one." Duncan suggested, motioning for Cecily to follow him. He looked at Bridgette and Gwen and continued, "You two try and keep her comfortable, we'll go find a key."

Bridgette nodded, and Duncan and Cecily disappeared into the shadows. Bridgette turned back to Gwen, who was cradling Nikki in her arms as best as she could, tears glistening in her eyes. "Damn that bastard." she said, her voice choked with emotion. "I'm going to kill him for this. I swear to God, I'm going to kill him."

"I know Gwen, I know." Bridgette said. "And I'm going to help you."

At that moment Nikki groaned again, drawing their attention. Her mouth was moving, but no sound was coming out, making Bridgette and Gwen wince in horror as the possibilities flooded their minds. What if Nikki was unable to speak anymore? What if McLean had done something to her that had permanently taken away her ability to speak? As these thoughts raced through her mind Bridgette felt her desire to kill McLean strengthen yet again.

"I think she's trying to say something." Gwen said, glancing from Nikki to Bridgette. They leaned in closer then, straining to hear what Nikki was trying to tell them.

Finally Nikki managed to speak, her voice a hoarse, raw whisper. "Izzy." she gasped. "Izzy...she...she's...oh God."

"What about Izzy?" Gwen asked. "Do you know where she is Nik?"

Nikki nodded and pointed off in the direction Duncan and Cecily had walked. "Izzy...over there. She's...I think...dead. Can't remember...everything is..." Her voice trailed off into silence, leaving her gasping for air.

Bridgette and Gwen glanced at each other, concerned. Nikki's speech was incoherent, and they were struggling to understand what she was saying. She seemed to think Izzy was dead and that she was still in the room, but there were no signs of Izzy anywhere, not that either of them could see.

"This doesn't make sense." Bridgette said. "I see no signs that Izzy is here, or anyone else for that matter. So why does Nikki think she is?"

"She's delirious." Gwen answered. "Probably because she's dehydrated and half starved."

"That does seem likely." said Cecily as she and Duncan suddenly reappeared beside them.

"Did you find a key?" Gwen asked, staring at Duncan with a hopeful expression.

"Yes." Duncan replied, tossing her a large brass key.

"Did you find anything else?" Bridgette asked, as Gwen moved to unshackle Nikki.

"No, but I'm going to investigate some more." Duncan said. "It's a large room, so there may still be someone else down here."

"I'm gonna do some more investigating as well." said Cecily. "Gotta find the entrance to the other secret room."

"Why?" Bridgette asked. "What's so important about the other room?"

"Some of your friends could be in there." Cecily said, before turning and disappearing into the darkness, Duncan following her.

With the two of them off investigating Bridgette turned her attention back to Gwen and Nikki, who was still muttering incomprehensibly about Izzy. Now that she was unshackled Bridgette and Gwen were able to get a closer look at her injuries. In addition to the cuts and scrapes, her wrists were severely bruised and the skin was raw and swollen from ten days in the shackles. Her wrists also appeared to be broken, as though she had strained against the shackles repeatedly, though Bridgette wasn't sure, as she wasn't a doctor. There were also marks on Nikki's back and abdomen that looked like burns, as though she had been repeatedly jabbed with a hot poker. Again Bridgette felt her blood boil in anger as she examined her friend. And again, the question entered her mind, why was McLean doing this? There had to be a reason beyond him simply wanting revenge. If that was his only reason he'd just kill them all instead of bothering with these games. At least that's what Bridgette kept telling herself, though in truth she had no idea what went on inside McLean's diseased mind. For all she knew, torture gave McLean more satisfaction than just killing, but if that was true why hadn't he tortured Jen? Bridgette shook her head, pushing the thoughts away. She didn't have any answers and she was fairly certain she didn't want to know all of McLean's reasons anyway. She looked back at Gwen and Nikki, who had fallen silent again, but was still twitching as though she was reliving some horrible memory from the past ten days.

At that moment, they heard Duncan swear from somewhere across the room. Bridgette jumped to her feet and made her way over to him, the light of her flashlight falling on his face a moment later. "Duncan, what is is?" she asked, her tone tense.

"Nikki's not the only one here." Duncan answered, his tone strained.

"What do you mean?" Bridgette asked, confused now.

Duncan didn't answer, but shown the beam of his flashlight on the floor in front of them. There, laying in a putrid pile were the corpses of four people. Bridgette felt her throat constrict as she tried to stop herself from vomiting.

"Who are they?" she asked, after a moment of painful silence.

"I can't tell." Duncan said. "They've been dead for several days, five or six I'd guess, based on the level of decay. At least two are female, I can tell you that much for sure."

Bridgette nodded and knelt down to examine the bodies. It appeared Duncan was right about how long they had been dead, though Bridgette was no expert on the subject. However, a fair amount of decay had occurred and all four corpses were devoid of eyes, their faces sunken and hollow. It took Bridgette another minute or so before she recognized the necklace that still hung around the neck of one of the corpses. "This one is Tricia." she whispered, her voice choked with emotion. She moved on to the next corpse, quickly deducing that it was Chrissy. The third corpse was Sadie and the fourth was Noah. This took Bridgette and Duncan by surprise as they hadn't known Noah had been kidnapped.

"Shit." Duncan said. "I can't believe Noah is dead. I didn't even know he'd been taken."

"Yeah." Bridgette muttered, her voice hollow. "I can't believe he killed Sadie. Katie is going to be so devastated."

"Assuming she's still alive." Duncan muttered, not looking at Bridgette.

"Don't say that Duncan." Bridgette said, a note of pleading in her voice. "She could still be alive, they all could. We can't assume they're all dead or we'll lose all hope."

"I understand that." Duncan said. "But given the circumstances it seems unlikely that they're still alive."

"We found Nikki alive." Gwen pointed out, her voice making them jump. They hadn't heard her approaching and were caught off guard by her sudden appearance. She was supporting Nikki, with one arm and was looking at the corpses with a mixture of sorrow and rage.

"Yeah, okay, that's true, but that doesn't mean we'll find everyone else alive." Duncan said. "I mean we found Tricia, Chrissy, Sadie, and Noah dead, so what does that tell you about our odds?"

"It tells me they're not that great." Gwen admitted. "But you have to have faith Duncan. You have to keep believing that we'll find them alive, otherwise what the fuck is the point? If we've already given up hope, then why did we come here?"

Duncan didn't answer and for a moment the room was silent, save for the sounds of Cecily moving around in the far corner of the room.

"Cecily, what the fuck are you doing over there?" Duncan asked, his tone irritated.

"I told you, I'm looking for the secret door to the other room." Cecily's voice answered, from deep within the gloom. There was another moment of silence, followed by Cecily's delighted squeal of, "Found it." This was followed by an ominous click and the sound of stone grinding on stone and then a blast of icy cold air hit them.

"What the fuck?" Duncan asked. "It's a fucking freezer." Before he could react further there was noise at the door through which they had entered. They all turned to see Chef and Coach Halder entering the room, both of them looking winded.

"Where have you two been?" Bridgette asked. "I screamed like fifteen minutes ago, what took you so long?"

"It's a big mansion Miss Wells." Chef answered. "And regarding that scream, what happened? Did you find something?"

"Yeah, we found Nikki, alive." Bridgette answered. "We also found Tricia, Chrissy, Sadie, and Noah, but they're all dead and have been for several days."

"Well shit." Chef muttered. "At least Nikki's alive. Any sign of anyone else?"

"None so far." Gwen answered, her tone grim. "Where are Owen and Ron?"

"They're on their way." Coach Halder answered. "They should be here in a few minutes."

Gwen nodded, just as Cecily's voice cut through the silence. "Oh God." she said, her voice choked with emotion. "Guys, you might want to come look at this."

"What is it Cecily?" Bridgette asked. "What did you find?"

"Just come look, please." Cecily said, a note of pleading in her voice.

Bridgette sighed and moved to stand beside Cecily, the others following her. "Okay, what is it?" she asked, once she was beside Cecily. Cecily just pointed into the second room, her eyes wide with horror. Bridgette followed Cecily's gaze and felt her whole body go numb as she noticed what Cecily was pointing at.

There, hanging from the ceiling by her neck, was Izzy, her body limp and lifeless. For a moment Bridgette simply stared at Izzy, her mind trying to process what she was seeing and then she let out a wail of sorrow so painful it made them all shudder. The rope around Izzy's neck trailed up over a large hook in the ceiling and then down to a large crank on the floor, around which the rope was tightly wound. Izzy's hair hung in front of her face, but Bridgette could tell her eyes were still open, their radiant green dulled by the milky film of death.

Bridgette felt movement beside her as Duncan and Chef entered the room. Chef stood beneath Izzy's body, while Duncan moved to the rope, drawing his knife as he did. With one swift motion he cut the rope, dropping Izzy's body into Chef's arms. Chef then laid her gently on the floor, just as Owen and Ron entered the first room, the sound of their footsteps making everyone except Chef turn. Owen could tell something wasn't right and he moved towards the second room, only to have Coach Halder stop him.

"No son, you don't want to see what's in there." Coach said, his tone full of sorrow.

"What happened?" Owen asked, trying to push past Coach. Coach Halder didn't answer and in that moment Owen knew what had happened. "Oh God, it's Izzy, isn't it?" he asked, his voice trembling.

"Let him in." Chef said from within the room. Coach obeyed, standing aside to let Owen in. Owen scrambled into the room, falling to his knees at the sight of Izzy's lifeless body. Chef had closed her eyes and removed the noose from around her neck, but it did little to hide the fact that she was dead. There were livid bruises ringing her neck and ice crystals coating her hair and face. Decay had not really set in yet, probably because she had been in a freezer.

"Oh Izzy." Owen sobbed, holding her cold, motionless body close, as if his touch could somehow revive her. "Oh Izzy, I am so sorry I wasn't able to save you. Know that I will avenge you, I swear on everything I am I will avenge you."

It was a sentiment they all shared now and for the next hour they simply sat in that room mourning the loss of Izzy, Tricia, Chrissy, Sadie, and Noah. At some point Duncan and Cecily made their way back upstairs, where Duncan called 911. A short time later he and Cecily returned with paramedics and police, who quickly moved to secure the scene. Nikki was taken away on a stretcher, an IV inserted into her arm to begin returning fluids to her system. Izzy and the others were placed in body bags and taken away as well, though Owen made sure to give Izzy one last kiss before her bag was zipped up, hiding her face from her friends. Bridgette and the others watched as their friends were taken away, all of them knowing that they now had only one course of action to follow. They had to kill McLean and Bridgette would see that it was done.

**A/N: Well, there go people. Now you know what was in the room. I know, it sucks. They found Nikki alive, but whatever joy and relief that brought them was immediately dulled by the discoveries of the other bodies, especially Izzy. So yes, Izzy is dead and I know some of you aren't going to be happy about that, so I just want to remind you again to please don't direct your anger at me. I'm just the writer, so please direct your anger at McLean and Shane. If you don't, remember, you will be blocked. Thank you for understanding. **


	26. Selfish Desires

Bridgette sat alone in her room once again, staring blankly at the wall, her mind devoid of all thought. Three days had passed since she and her friends had found Nikki and Izzy and Bridgette still couldn't get the images out of her mind. Every time she closed her eyes she saw Izzy's lifeless body hanging in that horrible room. And when she didn't see Izzy she saw Nikki chained to the wall like an animal. Every time these images passed through her mind she felt a powerful feeling of sorrow mixed with an even more powerful feeling of hatred. She had never imagined she could hate someone this much, but everything McLean had done had brought the hatred and rage boiling to the surface. She was now consumed with an overpowering urge to kill him, to make him feel all the pain and suffering he had caused her and her friends. But even with the rage driving her she was still unsure she would be able to do it. To kill someone, even someone as evil as McLean, went against everything Bridgette believed in. Unfortunately she couldn't see any other options. McLean had to be killed, it was the only way to end this.

At that moment there was a knock on the door, drawing Bridgette out of her reverie. She walked over to the door and opened it, finding Gwen standing in the hallway. "Nikki's awake." Gwen said. "And she's asking to see us."

Bridgette felt a small wave of relief wash over her. They hadn't heard anything about Nikki since the paramedics had taken her from the Halsenburg Mansion. Bridgette had been worried about her ever since and was glad to learn that she was awake. It was a small victory, but a victory none the less. Nikki was alive and from the sound of things she would make a full recovery.

"Well, let's head over to the hospital then." Bridgette said, with a glance at Gwen.

Gwen nodded and they headed downstairs, where the others were waiting for them. They all seemed to be relieved as well, especially Duncan who had been worried about what would happen to Bridgette if Nikki had died. Bridgette smiled at them before making her way over to the door. The others followed her and a few minutes later they arrived at the hospital.

They were greeted by a receptionist who seemed suspicious to see such a large group of people at the hospital. "And who might you all be?" she inquired.

"We're friends of Nikki Wong." Bridgette answered. "She was brought in three days ago and we're here for a visit."

The receptionist continued to look skeptical, but eventually allowed them to pass, after making them all fill out visitors passes.

"Wow, she was bitch, wasn't she?" Duncan asked, once they were out of earshot of the receptionist.

"She was just doing her job Duncan." Gwen said, rolling her eyes.

"Whatever." Duncan muttered, deciding it was better not to argue.

"So, I wonder how Nikki is dealing with this." Wyatt said, as they made their way down the hallway. "You know, being in the hospital and all."

No one answered, though it was something Bridgette had been wondering about as well. It was common knowledge that Nikki hated hospitals and spending this much time in one, even though it was necessary, couldn't be easy for her.

"Maybe you should ask her when we get to her room." Gwen finally suggested, glancing at Wyatt as she spoke.

Wyatt didn't respond and a moment later they arrived outside of Nikki's room. Bridgette took a deep breath and entered, the others following her. Nikki was sitting up in bed, dressed in a hospital gown, an IV still inserted in her right arm. Both of her wrists were heavily bandaged, but did not appear to be in casts. There was bandaging on her forehead as well, concealing the gash that was located there. Overall she seemed to be doing pretty well, though Bridgette could tell she was barely concealing her discomfort.

"Hey Nik, how's it going?" Bridgette asked, smiling at her friend.

"Pretty good, considering what happened to me." Nikki answered, returning Bridgette's smile. There was no trace of pain in her voice, though it was fairly obvious she was trying not to be overly emotional.

"You're sure you're okay?" Bridgette asked. "Because no one would blame you if you wanted to cry or scream."

"Yeah, I know." Nikki said. "But it just doesn't feel right to do that in a hospital."

"Okay." Bridgette said. "So, Gwen said you wanted to talk to us about something."

"Yes." Nikki said. "I wanted to tell you all about what happened to me while I was McLean's prisoner."

There was a collective shudder at these words, though Nikki seemed not to notice. She looked determined, like she wasn't going to take no for an answer. Still, Bridgette felt compelled to ask, "Nikki are you sure you want to talk about that?"

"Yes." Nikki confirmed. "You need to know, it will help us defeat him, and I want to get it all out there so I don't have to dwell on it anymore."

"Alright, if you're sure, then tell us what happened to you." Bridgette said, with a reassuring smile.

Nikki nodded, taking a deep breath before she began speaking. "Okay, so, I guess the story begins with the day I was taken." she said. "I was pissed at Geoff and Duncan for talking about giving up and I went for a walk to cool off. I made it as far as the campus and that's when I ran into McLean. He distracted me and someone, I'm assuming it was Shane, came up behind me and hit me over the head with a baseball bat. Knocked me out cold. The next thing I remember is waking up in that room where you guys found me." She fell silent, her gaze far off as if she was trying to remember more.

"God Nikki, I am so fucking sorry for saying those things to you." Duncan said, his voice choked with emotion.

Nikki looked at him as if seeing him for the first time and smiled. "Don't apologize Duncan." she said. "It's not your fault I was kidnapped. I'm the one who was pissed at you and I shouldn't have been out there alone like that. I got caught because of my own stupidity, not yours."

Duncan opened his mouth to argue but Bridgette motioned for him to remain silent. "Don't Duncan." she said. "Nikki's right, it's not your fault and arguing about it now won't change the fact that it happened. Let's just be glad she's alive and leave it at that."

Duncan nodded, his shoulders slumping in defeat. It was obvious that he wanted to argue the point, but he knew Nikki and Bridgette were right, so he didn't.

"Thank you Bridgette." Nikki said. "I can't deal with arguments at the moment, so thank you for backing me up."

"You're welcome." Bridgette said, with another reassuring smile.

"So what happened after you woke up in that room?" Tyler asked.

"I was locked in shackles and chained to the wall." Nikki answered. "Heather, Lindsey, Courtney, Tricia, Beth, Trent, Jonesy, Katie, Sadie, and Chrissy were already there and they were all in shackles as well. It looked like McLean had already begun torturing them, but it was hard to tell cuz it was really fucking dark in there. But I could hear someone moaning, as if they were in pain. I don't know who it was, but I think it was Courtney." Again she fell silent, the weight of all she had experienced making it hard to continue talking.

After taking a moment to catch her breath Nikki continued, before anyone could suggest she stopped. "So, anyway, we were tortured in turns, one at a time, and he made the rest of us watch. I spoke with the others and learned that McLean was still hunting for the rest of you. I was still hopeful that he wouldn't get any of you, but then he brought Izzy in and my hope began to falter. Still it wasn't until Shane brought Marlowe and LeShawna in that I lost all hope."

"Why did he torture you?" Justin asked, both curious and horrified.

"Because he's a sick bastard." Nikki answered, wincing in pain as she gestured with her right arm. "He tortured us because he's convinced that's the best way to make us suffer. He gets a kick out of it and so does Shane. I assume you all know he's a traitor?"

"Yeah, we do." Gwen confirmed. "Duncan figured it out. And then Shane shot Eva."

"So she's dead?" Nikki asked, her voice strained.

"Yes." Bridgette answered. "Shane shot her in the chest. At least one of the bullets hit her heart. There was nothing we could do."

They were all silent for a moment, the pain of losing Eva and so many others worming its way into the room. Finally Duncan spoke, asking one of the two questions they all wanted to have answered, "So, do you know where the others are?"

"No, I don't." Nikki answered. "I do why he moved them though."

"And why is that?" Duncan asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"He moved them because he knew you were coming to the mansion." Nikki answered. "I don't know how he knew, but he knew. And he decided to leave. That's also why he killed Izzy. She taunted him when he found out you were coming and he said she had to pay. So he..." Her voice trailed off as the tears began to fall, her mind taking her back to that horrible moment. The images of Izzy being hung flashed through her mind, the image of Izzy's final gasping breath standing out in stark relief, making her shudder.

"He just dropped the rope around her neck and then Shane turned the crank." she said, not realizing she was speaking out loud. "It was horrible. She was struggling, trying to get the rope off, but it was tightening too quickly. And then she just went limp and I knew she was gone. I don't think I'll ever be able to forget the sound of her gasping for breath."

The silence in the room following Nikki's horrifying recounting of Izzy's death was deafening. No one had anything to say and they all stood and mourned, Nikki sobbing as the images continued to replay in her mind. Bridgette moved to comfort her, wrapping her arms around Nikki's trembling body and holding her close.

Several minutes passed before Bridgette released Nikki, her sobbing having subsided in the meantime. Bridgette looked Nikki in the eyes and said, with as much conviction as she could muster, "We'll get him Nikki. I promise you, we'll make McLean pay for what he did to Izzy, for what he did to you, for what he's done to us all."

Nikki smiled then, her confidence returning in a sudden rush. "Okay, but if we're going to kill him then you need to know why he's killing us."

"I thought he was doing that to get revenge for sending him to prison?" Gwen said, her tone confused.

"He is." Nikki said. "But there's more to it then that. It's become a sport for him. Revenge is only a minor reason now. Now, he's simply doing it for his own selfish desires. He's doing it because he wants to, because he's enjoying it, more than he thought he would. He went on and on about how much torture and murder make him feel alive. He even said that killing Jen was a bigger rush for him than raping Bridgette was."

"Oh God." Bridgette said, her tone horrified. "He's really gone off the deep end hasn't he?"

"Yes, but that only makes him more dangerous." said Nikki. "Before he had a plan, now he's just chaotic. Now, he's just a madman who will not stop until he's killed us all."

"And that's why we have to stop him before he gets the chance." said Duncan. The others nodded in agreement and Duncan grinned, glad they were all on the same page.

"Okay, but that'll have to wait for now." said Cecily, speaking for the first time. "Right now Nikki needs to rest and we need to come up with a plan."

"I don't think she's wrong about that." Nikki said. "I still feel exhausted and I think I could use some more sleep."

"Okay, we'll let you rest then." said Bridgette. "We'll come by again later, okay?"

"Sounds good." Nikki said, her eyelids fluttering before she fell asleep, her body relaxing into her pillows.

Bridgette smiled and then she and the others left, leaving Nikki to sleep in peace. Once they were in the hall Cecily motioned for Bridgette to follow her, saying she needed to talk to her in private. Bridgette told the others she would see them back at the house and followed Cecily down to the parking garage.

"So, what do you think?" she asked, glancing at Cecily.

"About what?" Cecily asked, her gaze questioning.

"About what Nikki told us?" Bridgette asked, confused by Cecily's lack of understanding.

"It makes sense to me." Cecily answered. "From what I know about McLean, everything Nikki said seems to fit." They had arrived at Cecily's car, which she unlocked with an electronic key.

"Yeah, it does, doesn't it?" Bridgette mused, turning away from Cecily to look at the garage. "I wonder though, does McLean have any other allies besides Shane?"

"I don't know, maybe." Cecily said, as she drew a large syringe from within her purse. A second later she jabbed the needle into Bridgette's neck, making Bridgette gasp in surprise.

"Ow, what was-" Bridgette's sentence died in her throat as the sedative took effect. Her eyes rolled back in their sockets and she slumped against the side of Cecily's car, before collapsing to the ground in a heap.

Cecily smiled, relishing in her victory, before heaving Bridgette into the back seat of her car. "Actually I do know if McLean has other allies." she said, as she climbed into the drivers seat. "I'm one of them. Too bad you were too stupid to see that sooner." With that she pulled her car out of the parking space and drove off, Bridgette's unconscious body laying in the back seat.

**A/N: So yeah, Cecily is working with McLean as well. How many of you saw that coming? Anyway, I should mention a couple more things. First, I stated in the previous chapter that it looked like Nikki's wrists were broken, well, they're not. That's why there's no casts on her arms, only splints held in place by bandaging. This is because, although her wrists aren't broken the tendons are strained, so she's still in a lot of pain. Also, a lot of you have expressed your desire for me to kill McLean and Shane for what they have done. I just want to assure you all that it will happen, you just have to be patient. I have always intended to have them die, it's the reason I'm having them be so evil to begin with.**


	27. Betrayed Again

Bridgette regained consciousness sometime later, her vision blurry and her head pounding. She couldn't remember what had happened, but quickly realized she must have lost consciousness at some point. As her senses began to clear she glanced around, noticing that she was in an unfamiliar room. Her first thought was that she had been grabbed by McLean, but that didn't make sense. Why would McLean take her now if his plan was to kill all her friends first? Had his plans changed? It was a chilling thought, but it still didn't make sense to her. McLean wouldn't change his plans unless he was forced to and as far as Bridgette knew nothing had happened that would force him to do so. It was then that her mind cleared and the memories came flooding back to her. She had been at the hospital visiting Nikki with the others and then Cecily had asked to speak with her in private. They had gone down to the parking garage, talked about the possibility that McLean had another ally, and then something had poked her in the neck. But what had it been and had something happened to Cecily as well? And then, as if she were stumbling across the answer in some long forgotten cave, the answer clicked in her mind.

_Cecily,_ she thought. _It was Cecily. She kidnapped me, but why?_ It was then that she noticed the person leaning against the wall across from her. It was Cecily and she was smiling, as if she had just achieved the greatest victory of her life.

Bridgette tried to speak, wanting to ask Cecily what was going on, only to find that she couldn't speak. Terrified, she glanced down at her body, finding that she was sitting in a hard wooden chair, her wrists, ankles and waist bound to it with thick ropes. "Mmrph?" she said, trying to speak around the duct tape over her mouth.

"Shhh, don't try and speak Bridgette." Cecily said, approaching her quarry like a predator stalking its prey. Again Bridgette tried to speak, but Cecily held a finger up to her duct tapped mouth. "No Bridgette." she said, a smile on her face. "Now it's my turn to speak. You just listen and don't struggle. It will end badly for you if you do."

Bridgette's shoulders slumped, all the fight going out of her. In the back of her mind she wanted to keep struggling, but Cecily's subtle threat was enough to keep her from fighting. She didn't know what Cecily would have done to her if she hadn't obeyed, but she was sure it wouldn't be good.

"That's good." Cecily said, her tone triumphant. "So, did you see this coming Bridgette? Did you have any inkling at all that I'm working for McLean?"

Bridgette shook her head, the look in her eyes a mixture of horror and hatred. Cecily was working for McLean, just like Shane had been. How was this possible? How had both of the people she'd met and befriend at CSU ended up under the sway of that murderous madman?

"I thought not." Cecily said, bringing Bridgette back to her senses. "He sent me in after Shane's cover was blown. I was the one who called him and told him we were coming to the Halsenburg Mansion. So, I guess it's my fault Izzy died, at least partially. Oh well, she was an annoying bitch anyway. The world is better off without her, if you ask me."

Bridgette felt the rage boil within her at this admission and she jerked against the ropes, wanting nothing more than to rise from this chair and beat Cecily to death with her bare hands.

"Hey, what did I say about struggling?" Cecily snapped, her expression turning cold for just a moment. "Do you want to find out what I'm capable of?"

Bridgette shook her head and again she relaxed, doing her best to keep control of her urge to harm Cecily. She could not afford to piss Cecily off, not if she wanted to make it out of this alive, which she was certain would happen if she just cooperated. She was certain of that because she knew McLean would not be pleased if Cecily killed her, as he wanted to do that himself.

"So, now that you've decided to listen, let me explain to you why I'm doing this." Cecily said, her cheery mood back in place now that Bridgette was cooperating. "I'm doing this because I choose to. I'm doing this because it's the only way I can get McLean to recognize that I am a valuable ally in his crusade. Did you know about that?"

Bridgette shook her head again and Cecily rolled her eyes. "Okay, that's it, I can't do this if you can't respond verbally to me." she said. She reached out then and ripped the duct tape off of Bridgette's mouth, making Bridgette grunt in pain.

"You bitch." Bridgette breathed a second later. "I can't believe you're working for McLean too. Don't you know he hates women?"

"Oh yes, I know all about his hatreds." Cecily mused. "In fact that's why I joined him. I'm not particularly fond of women myself."

"But you are a woman." Bridgette said, confusion mixing with her anger.

"True, I am." Cecily acknowledged. "But that doesn't mean I can't dislike my own gender."

"But why though?" Bridgette asked. "Why do you hate your own gender?"

"It's not that I hate our gender Bridgette." Cecily answered. "It's more that I find most other women to be annoying, because let's face it, many of the members of our gender are shallow, ignorant, worthless creatures who deserve to rot in the pit of hell."

"Fuck you." Bridgette said, her tone cold. "Our gender is not worthless and you're a fool to think otherwise."

"I'm a fool?" Cecily asked, surprised. "You're the one who's tied to a chair and at my mercy. You're the one who refused to let McLean have what he wanted. So who's really the fool here Bridgette?"

"No, I still think it's you." Bridgette said. "You're the one following a murderer and rapist who will kill you the second he no longer thinks you serve his purposes."

"I don't think he will." Cecily responded. "See, McLean and I share something in common, something you could never understand. We share a similar understanding of the universe and how it works. Shane understands it too and we're not the only ones."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Bridgette asked. "McLean is just a sick, twisted, murderer, nothing else. What you're saying makes no sense."

"That's where you're wrong Bridgette." Cecily said, with a smile. "McLean is much more than a murderer. He's a visionary, an oracle, the only one who truly understands how the world works." There was an obvious twisted reverence in her voice that made Bridgette shiver. Cecily seemed to notice this, for she smiled, as though the thought that she was freaking Bridgette out made her happy.

"Am I freaking you out?" she asked, her tone malicious now.

Bridgette nodded, not able to speak for fear of what she might say.

"Oh Bridgette, I am so sorry if I'm making your skin crawl." Cecily said, her tone mocking.

Bridgette glared at her before asking, "What do you mean McLean is a visionary?"

"He understands what it means to live." Cecily replied. "He has a philosophy that I find intoxicating. See, the way McLean sees it, the best way to understand the world is to understand death. And the only way to understand death is make it happen. That's why he kills and tortures. Only through pain and death can we truly understand ourselves and how extremely fragile our lives are. Death is an inevitability and McLean understands this. All he's trying to do is force the rest of the world to understand it as well. That's why he chooses to primarily kill women, because we're the bearers of life and to kill us reminds the whole human race of our mortality."

Bridgette did not immediately respond to Cecily's claims. She had no idea what to say. On the one hand, McLean's philosophy seemed completely insane. But she had to admit that there was some thread of what Cecily had just told her that made sense, though this thought made her want to hurl. It was repulsive, McLean's view of the world, and to think that it was right was utterly insane.

"Well, that's quite a theory, but I think it's insane." Bridgette said, finally breaking the silence that had fallen over the room.

"Do you?" Cecily asked. "Well, I guess you're entitled to your own opinion, though you should know that McLean's way is the only way. And though you are repulsed by it now, just remember that there may come a day when you find that your opinion has changed. There is darkness in all of us Bridgette and no one can manipulate that darkness better than McLean."

Bridgette felt bile rise in the back of her throat at Cecily's words. She was well aware that there was darkness in her, but to think that McLean could manipulate that darkness to turn her into something like him made her want to scream. And in that moment she resolved to never allow him to get the chance to turn her.

Cecily seemed to sense Bridgette's resolve, for she smiled and moved over to a laptop that sat open on the table. "I can see what you're thinking Bridgette." she said, her tone malicious again. "You're planning to kill McLean before he can sway you to his side, but you may want to reconsider that thought."

"And why would I want to do that?" Bridgette asked, her tone incredulous.

"Because of this." Cecily answered, switching on the laptop as she spoke.

The scene that greeted Bridgette on the screen was of McLean and Shane breaking in to her parents house. There was the sound of a struggle and then they emerged, dragging Bridgette's parents behind them.

"That's a live feed, by the way." Cecily said, with a smile. "So you just witnessed the kidnapping of your parents in real time. And if you try anything to undermine McLean, they will die, I can promise you that."

"You fucking bitch." Bridgette screamed, straining against her bonds. "I'm gonna kill you. I swear to God I'm going to kill you and them I'm going to kill McLean."

"How?" Cecily asked. "You're tied to a chair, with no way out. How are you going to do anything? You're not, that's how."

"Oh really?" Bridgette said, straining against her bonds again. "You think I can't get out of these flimsy ropes?"

"No, I don't think you can't, I know you can't." Cecily replied, with a grin.

At that moment Bridgette yanked her arms upwards, the arms of the chair snapping from the force of her movement. Then, with an inhuman grunt of pain, she yanked her arms free of the ropes.

A look of surprise passed over Cecily's face, but it was quickly wiped away by her smug expression of superiority. At that, Bridgette twisted in her seat, yanking her legs free from their bonds as well. Seeing this, Cecily took a step backwards, shock written all over her face. Bridgette smiled and then stood, the chair still bound to her waist. With one quick thrust, she turned and slammed the chair into Cecily, knocking the other girl prone and breaking the legs off the chair. The force of the impact also loosened the ropes around her waist allowing her to wriggle free.

Now free of her bonds, Bridgette grabbed the chair and brought it crashing down across Cecily's back. Cecily gasped in pain and collapsed in a heap, but Bridgette wasn't done with her. Her only thought was to inflict as much pain as possible on Cecily and she could feel her adrenaline spike as the rage fueled her. She grabbed Cecily by the hair, pulling the other girl to her feet before punching her in the face, sending her sprawling again. With Cecily prone, Bridgette turned to find something to inflict more damage with, finally locating one of the broken chair legs after a moment of searching. She grabbed the chair leg and turned to face Cecily again, only to find that Cecily was gone.

"Come on Cecily, don't you want this?" Bridgette shouted. "Or are you afraid I might kick your pathetic ass?"

She glanced around the room, trying to locate her quarry, but Cecily was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, she launched herself out from behind the large bookcase near the couch, her full weight hitting Bridgette squarely in the chest. Bridgette hit the floor with a thud and felt Cecily's fist connect with her face. Twice more Cecily punched her and Bridgette felt the hot gush of blood as it ran from her nose. Shaking off Cecily's blows, she brought the chair leg up, slamming it into the side of Cecily's head. Cecily rolled off of her and Bridgette got to her feet, wiping the blood from her nose on the back of her hand.

Now standing again, Bridgette brought the chair leg down towards Cecily's head again, but Cecily rolled out of the way. She rolled into a crouch before launching herself at Bridgette again, but Bridgette effortlessly avoided her attack this time. Cursing, Cecily whirled around, her right hand clenching into a fist. Then, before Bridgette had time to react, Cecily drove her fist hard and fast into Bridgette's gut, knocking the wind out of her.

Bridgette gasped as the force of Cecily's blow crushed the air from her lungs. She doubled over, clutching her gut in pain, that chair leg slipping from her hands. Coughing, she tried to stand, only to have Cecily punch her in the gut again. This time Bridgette choked, coughing up a mixture of spit, blood and vomit. For a moment Bridgette sat, gasping for breath, her breathing rapid and shallow and then Cecily's fist connected with her face again, knocking her onto her back. And then Cecily was on top of her, her hands wrapping around Bridgette's throat.

Cecily squeezed with all her strength, feeling Bridgette struggle beneath her. She could feel Bridgette's pulse quicken as the air was squeezed from her lungs and she heard Bridgette choke as blood began to fill her mouth. Cecily smiled and glanced down at Bridgette, her smile widening at the sight of the blood trickling from the corners of Bridgette's mouth. "Goodbye Bridgette." she whispered. "I'm sure McLean won't be overly upset that I didn't leave you for him to kill."

No sooner had she spoken when she felt a sharp pain in her side. Releasing her grip Cecily glanced down at herself, noticing at gash on her side. Puzzled she glanced back at Bridgette, who was smiling despite her injuries. In her hand was a piece of the broken chair, stained red by Cecily's blood. Shocked that Bridgette had managed to wound her when she had been so close to death, Cecily staggered backwards while Bridgette sat up, wiping the blood from her mouth.

"Never...declare victory until you're sure your enemy is dead." Bridgette gasped.

Shocked, Cecily clamored to her feet and turned to run, only to have Bridgette catch her by the shirt. "Where the fuck do you think you're going?" Bridgette asked, before slamming Cecily against the wall with the force of an enraged bull.

Cecily gasped as the air was crushed from her lungs by the impact. And then, Bridgette punched her in the gut. Cecily gasped again just as Bridgette brought her her knee crashing up into Cecily's face. Blood exploded from Cecily's nose and mouth and Bridgette laughed. She then slammed Cecily's head into the the wall before tossing her to the floor. Cecily tried to stand, but Bridgette grabbed a vase off of the table by the couch and brought it crashing down across Cecily's head. The vase exploded in a shower of glass and Cecily collapsed to the floor, unconscious, blood oozing from a wicked gash on her forehead. Bridgette stared at her prone enemy a moment before turning and walking out of the house, intent on finding McLean, leaving Cecily to be found by someone else.

**A/N: Okay, so, sorry it took me a few days to get this up. I had some friends visiting for the weekend and I couldn't find the time to update while we were gaming. Anyway, so now you know the full reason behind why McLean is doing all of this. He's got this crazy philosophy and it drives him to acts of evil. Also, what did you think of the fight between Bridgette and Cecily? Finally, the comments Cecily made about women reflect the views of the character, not me. I may be a man, but have the utmost respect for women and I do not think they are worthless, ignorant, or shallow. I drew on other people's opinions to create McLean and Cecily's view of women, so please don't take offense to her comments. My intention was not to offend and I apologize if I did. **


	28. Out for Revenge

Bridgette had left Cecily's house intending to go after McLean but she had quickly realized she was in no shape to do so. She was still feeling the effects of her fight with Cecily and she wasn't sure if she could handle another fight at the moment. She was also keenly aware that it had been hours since she had seen her friends and they were probably wondering what had happened to her. Still, her desire to kill McLean was palpable and she was afraid that if she didn't go after him now she would lose her nerve. Ultimately, however, she decided she would return home first to fill her friends in on her plans.

A short time later Bridgette arrived at the house to find Gwen and Duncan standing on the front porch, both of them looking worried. Their expressions changed to relief when they noticed her approaching, though Duncan's expression was marred by some other emotion as well. Bridgette wasn't certain if it was anger or something else, but she didn't like it. She smiled at them as she mounted the steps, but they did not return the gesture.

"Where the fuck have you been?" Duncan demanded. "It's been over four hours since we left the hospital. I thought you and Cecily were just going to talk for a minute or two?"

Bridgette didn't answer him, instead turning her attention to Gwen, who looked far less angry. She saw concern in Gwen's eyes, a concern that seemed to deepen as Gwen got a look closer look at the damage Cecily had done.

"Bridgette what happened to you?" Gwen asked. "You look like you've been in a fight."

"That's because I was." Bridgette answered, not quite meeting Gwen's gaze.

"With who?" Duncan asked, his tone incredulous.

"Cecily." Bridgette answered. "She drugged me at the hospital and I woke up four hours later in her living room, tied to a chair."

"What?" Gwen asked, genuinely shocked. "Why would Cecily kidnap you?"

"Why do you think?" Bridgette asked, glancing at Duncan, who's expression had grown noticeably darker.

"Oh God, she's working for McLean, isn't she?" Gwen asked, staring at Bridgette in horror.

"Who's working for McLean?" Wyatt asked, as he and the others stepped out onto the porch. "And where have you been Bridgette?"

"Cecily is working for McLean." Bridgette answered. "And I was with her. She drugged me and took me to her house."

The look of shock that passed around the group at her words was so real it almost made Bridgette laugh. But she didn't. The situation was too serious for comical relief, even if that relief would have helped ease the tension.

"So Cecily is a traitor too, huh?" D.J. asked. "I guess we should have seen that one coming, after what happened with Shane."

"You fucking think?" Duncan snapped. "I told you guys we couldn't trust her, but no, you just had to ignore me again, didn't you? Even though I was right about Shane, you were still willing to believe Cecily was our ally." There was a bitterness to his voice that made Bridgette cringe.

"To be fair Duncan, we never would have found Nikki without Cecily's help." Gwen said. "I'm not trying to defend her or anything, I'm just pointing that out."

"Yeah, but she's still a traitor." Duncan muttered, glancing at Bridgette.

"So, what happened exactly?" Chef asked, also glancing at Bridgette. "You look like you were in a bar brawl."

Bridgette glanced down at herself, seeming to notice the bloodstains on her cloths for the first time. There was still a bit of blood trickling from her nose and she could still taste a bit of it in her mouth as well. There was a gash on her right hand, most likely from the vase she had smashed over Cecily's head. And there were scrapes and bruises all over her body, including some light bruising on her throat where Cecily had grabbed her. She looked back at Chef before answering his questions.

"Well, a lot of things happened, but I guess I'll start at the beginning." she said. "Cecily drugged me and I woke up in her living room four hours later. She had me tied to a chair with duct tape over my mouth. At first I thought I had been grabbed by McLean or Shane, but that didn't make sense. And then I saw Cecily and realized what had happened."

"But why did she take you?" Owen asked. "I mean, wouldn't that jeopardize what McLean is trying to do?"

"That's what I thought too." Bridgette replied. "I think she took me for a couple of reasons though. The first was to reveal that it was her who told McLean we were coming to the mansion. So, in some ways it's Cecily's fault we lost Izzy."

"That fucking bitch." Gwen said. "I'm going to fucking kill her."

"Yeah, my thoughts exactly." Bridgette said. "Anyway, she went on to tell me all about McLean's twisted world view. Apparently he's come to the belief that death is the best way to understand life or some insane bullshit like that."

"Really?" Alejandro asked. "That's why he's doing all of this?"

"That's what Cecily said." Bridgette answered. "I know, it's pretty fucking insane. You should have seen the look on her face when she was telling me about it though. It was like she reveres McLean as a twisted idol or something. Anyway, she then showed me a live feed of McLean and Shane taking my parents." She paused for a moment, fighting the wave of emotion that threatened to consume her, feeling tears at the backs of her eyes.

"Oh God, Bridgette." Gwen said, moving to comfort her friend. "Don't worry, we'll get them back, just like everyone else."

"I know." Bridgette said, her tone now harsh. She looked up at the others and continued. "After seeing that feed, I snapped. I broke out of my restraints and Cecily and I fought. She tried to strangle me, but I got the upper hand. I smashed a vase over her head and then I left."

"So she's still alive then?" Duncan asked, a trace of disappointment in his voice.

"I assume so." Bridgette answered. "I'm pretty sure I just knocked her out, though she was bleeding pretty badly from a cut on her head, so there's a small chance she's dead. I wouldn't bet on it though." She sighed then, suddenly wary, and slumped against the wall.

"Bridgette are you okay?" Gwen asked, concern in her voice again.

"Yeah, I think so." Bridgette answered. "I think Cecily might have done some internal damage when she punched my in the stomach, but I'll be okay."

The others looked at her in concern, but she waved them off. She was determined to go after McLean and she was not about to let them stop her. Regaining her strength she stood up straight and moved towards the steps.

"Bridgette, where are you going?" Wyatt asked, reaching out to grab her arm. She shook him off and turned to face the others.

"I'm going after McLean." she said. "And I'm doing it now, alone."

"Bridgette no." Gwen said, a note of pleading in her voice. "You just survived a fight with Cecily and you're in no shape to face McLean now. Also, you can't do this alone."

Bridgette tensed, feeling anger rise within her. "Don't tell me what to do Gwen." she breathed. "I can make my own decisions and I'm going after McLean now."

"Bridgette stop." Chef said, his voice harsh and commanding. "Gwen is right. You're in no shape to face McLean now. I understand that you want to get Geoff, and your parents back, but you're not thinking clearly at the moment and if you charge in after McLean without a clear mind he'll kill you before you get a chance to find anyone. You need to rest and regain your strength so let these thoughts of revenge wait, at least until tomorrow and then we'll all go after McLean."

Bridgette stared at him, feeling her pulse beat with an angry rhythm. She wanted to scream at Chef, at all of them, but she realized that wouldn't accomplish anything. They were right after all. She was in no condition to fight again and perhaps a bit of rest would do her good. So she chose to obey, her shoulders sagging in defeat.

"I'm going to get cleaned up." she said, her voice hollow and defeated. With that she walked past them and entered the house, making her way up to her room, the tears beginning to fall once she was out of sight of the others.

* * *

><p>A short time later, after crying herself out, Bridgette made her way to the bathroom. Once there, she turned on the hot water before peeling off her bloodstained clothing, tossing it in a heap in the corner. She then climbed into the shower, the pulse of the water soothing against her naked body. She felt a sense of relief as the dried blood washed away, relief that came from feeling clean again. The heat of the water made the cut on her hand throb with pain, but she ignored it, the soothing feeling of the water making her forget about everything else. She ran her hand across her belly, feeling a stab of pain as she pressed against the bruises left behind by Cecily's blows. She glanced down at herself, feeling shock wash over her at the sight of the bruises, which were much worse than she had originally thought. The bruises were located just below two of the scars that remained from when McLean had stabbed her. Feeling her sense of relief evaporate at the thought of McLean, she turned off the water and climbed out of the shower, reaching for a towel as she did. After drying off, she got dressed in clean cloths and then moved to tend to her injuries.<p>

Of greatest importance was the cut on her hand, which she wrapped in gauze. She also wrapped her right knuckles, which were scraped from hitting Cecily's face. Finally, she wrapped her wrists in gauze as well, as they were raw and bloody from the ropes. Finally done cleaning herself up she made her way back to her bedroom, flopping down on the bed as exhaustion washed over her. For a moment she lay, staring up at the ceiling, her mind racing and then sleep took her, plunging her into a dreamless abyss.

* * *

><p>Bridgette awoke many hours later to find that the sun had risen. She glanced at the clock and saw that it read 8:30 AM. She sighed and rolled off the bed, landing lightly on her feet. Stretching, she made her way over to the door, stepping out into the hallway with ghost like silence. She made her way downstairs, finding Duncan, Gwen, Wyatt, and Owen waiting for her in the living room.<p>

"You guys are up early." she said, a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Yeah, well, we just wanted to be ready when you got up." said Duncan. "You know, seeing as how you're planning on going out for revenge today."

Bridgette smiled and nodded before asking, "So, where's everyone else?"

"They're on their way." Gwen answered. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Of course I'm sure." Bridgette replied, surprised. "It's the only way to make this stop."

"I know that." Gwen said. "What I meant was, are you sure you're ready to do it now? I mean, it's been less than a day since you fought Cecily, so are you absolutely certain you can handle fighting McLean?"

"Yes, I am." Bridgette answered, her tone flat and determined.

"Okay, I'm just making sure." said Gwen, a note of concern in her voice.

At that moment the Kings, Dr. McLellen, Alejandro, Justin, Tyler, and D.J. entered the room, having been given a key by Bridgette several days earlier.

"Good, you're all awake." Chef said, glancing at Bridgette, Duncan, Gwen, Owen, and Wyatt. "Are you ready to do this?"

"Yes." Bridgette answered, her tone still determined.

"Okay, then let's get going." said Chef. "And remember, we stick together no matter what."

"Understood." said Bridgette, as Chef turned and walked back towards the door. Bridgette and the others followed him in silence, all of them keenly aware that they had no idea where McLean was now hiding. This thought had passed through Bridgette's mind several times since leaving Cecily's place, but she was confident that they could find McLean's new hideout. They just had to look hard enough and eventually it would reveal itself.

After walking in silence for several minutes another thought occurred to Bridgette. "Did anyone speak with Nikki and let her know we're doing this?" she asked.

"Yes, Duncan and I went to see her last night." Gwen answered. "She seemed to be okay with it, though she warned us not to let our guard down."

"That's good to know." Bridgette replied, relieved that Nikki was aware of the situation. "Is she safe there alone or should we send someone to watch her?"

"No, she's safe." Duncan answered, his tone reassuring. "The hospital has a good security staff and they're aware that she needs extra protection."

Again Bridgette felt relief wash over her. It was good to know that the hospital was doing everything they could to help Nikki, especially because she was more vulnerable than anyone else. She was stuck in the hospital, with little to defend herself with and Bridgette had been worried someone would come by and try to finish her off. So far, no one had, but that didn't stop Bridgette from worrying. It would be just their luck to have something bad happen to Nikki while the rest of them were out looking for McLean.

* * *

><p>For the next two hours they searched for McLean, with no success. Bridgette was beginning to lose hope again and she was beginning to feel woozy, her head spinning. She had lost track of most of the group and they seemed to have forgotten about her, all of them too absorbed in the hunt to notice that she was lagging behind.<p>

Suddenly Bridgette doubled over, gagging and coughing up blood. She clutched at her stomach, a sharp pain shooting through her like a bullet, and dropped to her knees, her vision going blurry. The sounds of her coughing alerted Gwen and Duncan, who doubled back to check on her.

"Bridgette, you okay?" Gwen asked, concern in her voice.

Bridgette shook her head, unable to speak for fear of coughing up more blood.

"Oh hell Bridgette, you're coughing up blood." Duncan said, kneeling beside her and wiping blood from her chin.

"Looks like Cecily did do some internal damage to you." Gwen said. "And it looks worse than you thought. See, I told you we should have waited to go after McLean."

"No." Bridgette gasped. "He has to be stopped. We can't afford to wait." She gagged and coughed up more blood, making Gwen step back in shock.

"Fuck that." Duncan said. "We're taking you to the hospital."

"I said...no." Bridgette gasped again. "You two go, catch up with the others. I'll just rest here a moment and then I'll be there too."

"We're not leaving you Bridgette." Gwen said. "You're bleeding internally. If we leave you, you could die."

"GO, DAMN IT!" Bridgette shouted. "I'll be fine, now go find McLean, please."

It was obvious they didn't want to leave her, but they obeyed, much to Bridgette's relief. As soon as they were out of earshot, she turned and vomited blood all over the street. Gasping and groaning, she tried to stand, only to have her knees buckle beneath her. Her stomach burning with pain, she rolled onto her back, hoping that would help.

"Oh God." she groaned, blood dribbling out of her mouth. "I...I'm gonna...fucking kill...that bitch. I'm gonna kill..." Her voice trailed off as she passed out, the darkness rushing in to consume her.

Moments later, she came to, all pain suddenly gone. She rolled on to her hands and knees and pushed herself to her feet, only to find her way blocked by the two people she wanted to see least.

"Hello Bridgette, how are you liking those internal injuries?" Cecily asked, a smile on her face. Beside her, Shane smiled as well and Bridgette felt her blood freeze, fear consuming her mind.

**A/N: And so it begins. The end of the story, I mean. We only have four chapters to go after this, so get ready, cuz the ending is gonna be good. Also, I realize some of you thought Cecily was dead after what happened last chapter and she obviously isn't, so let me explain. Bridgette only knocked Cecily out when she hit her with the vase and Shane found Cecily before she could bleed out. There is a reason why I kept Cecily alive, but you'll have to wait to find out what it is. I understand if you're disappointed that Cecily survived, but again, there is a reason and I have a feeling you'll all like that reason once I reveal it.**


	29. Blood On Her Hands

Bridgette stared in horror at the two people standing before her, fear clouding her mind. She knew she should run, or scream, or fight, but she couldn't. The fear held her in place, driving all other thoughts from her mind. Shane and Cecily seemed to sense this, for they were both smiling, terrible, wicked smiles, that only made Bridgette's fear worse. She had never felt fear like this before, not even when McLean had first escaped from prison. That fear had been born out of knowledge, knowledge of what McLean could do. This fear was born out of not knowing, of being utterly unaware of what Shane and Cecily were planning to do.

"What are you two doing here?" Bridgette gasped, finally finding the strength to speak.

"We're here to ensure you don't find McLean." Shane answered, his smile growing more twisted. "We're here to break you Bridgette."

"Even if you do, my friends will find him." Bridgette said, with as much confidence as she could muster.

"Oh Bridgette, you're so naive." Cecily said. "Your friends won't find McLean and even if they somehow do, they'll die. Haven't you learned by now that you can't win?"

"No, you're wrong." Bridgette said, though her voice lacked conviction. "We will win. We will. Because we have to."

"No Bridgette, you won't." Shane said. "You can't. Want to know why?"

Bridgette was certain she didn't want to hear Shane's answer, but she found herself nodding anyway, as if she was being controlled by someone else.

"Okay, we'll tell you why you can't win." Shane said, with a wicked smile.

"You can't win because you don't deserve to." Cecily said, continuing Shane's thoughts. "You don't deserve to win Bridgette, because it's all your fault."

Bridgette felt her chest constrict at these words. They weren't true, but she still felt like they were. She still felt like it was her fault that all of this had happened. But it wasn't true, it couldn't be true, could it? She glanced at Cecily, hope in her eyes, but there was no comfort in Cecily's gaze.

"Oh yes, you know it's true, don't you?" Cecily said. "You know you're to blame for all of this. Somewhere in the back of your mind, you know it's true."

"No, you're lying." Bridgette said, a note of pleading in her voice. "You're just trying to break me down with lies and it's not going to work."

"No, it's going to work." Cecily said. "It's going to work because try as you might, you can't escape from the truth."

"She's right, you know." said Shane. "You can't escape from the truth and sooner or later you'll see that the blood is on your hands."

"No, I didn't do anything wrong." Bridgette said. "I didn't want any of this to happen. That was you. It was you two and McLean who wanted this, not me. My hands are clean."

"Are they Bridgette?" Shane asked. "Are you absolutely certain your hands are clean?"

Reflexively Bridgette glanced down at her hands. They were shaking and her right one was wrapped in bandages, but otherwise they were clean. Of course it wasn't her physical hands they were talking about, but she wasn't able to see the metaphorical. All she knew for sure was her hands were clean, regardless of which pair they were talking about.

"Yes, they are." she said, finally answering Shane's question.

"Look again." Shane said. "Look closer this time. I'm sure you'll see the stains there if you just look hard enough."

"I'm not falling for this game." Bridgette said, her tone determined.

"Oh, you'll fucking fall for it." Shane snapped. "Now look again, damn it!"

Bridgette obeyed and this time she saw what Shane wanted her to see. Stains, red and distinct, like the blood of people who's lives had ended suddenly and violently. And as she saw the stains she felt tears begin to roll down her cheeks.

"I think she understands now." Cecily mused, her tone amused.

"I think she does." Shane agreed, his tone full of gleeful amusement. "Tell us Bridgette, do see the stains now?"

She didn't answer him, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he was right. They were both right and Bridgette felt her hope die. There was nothing left to fight for. If they were right and she was to blame for all that had happened since McLean's escape, then there was nothing left to fight for. She might as well die and spare her friends the pain. But even as she thought this she felt a need to keep fighting. Just because Shane and Cecily were right that didn't mean she couldn't keep fighting. Besides, they had yet to present proof she was to blame. The blood on her hands could be her own and she could very well be innocent of what they were accusing her of.

"No, I don't see any stains." she lied, glancing at her tormentors.

"You lie." Cecily said, her voice full of malice. "You see the stains, I know you do. I can see it on your face."

Bridgette stared hard at Cecily, noticing for the first time that her head was bandaged where the glass had cut her. She smiled then, the knowledge that Cecily was still suffering from their fight somehow satisfying to her. "No, I don't think you do." she said. "I don't think you're as good at reading people as you think Cecily."

Cecily laughed then, a cold and hollow laugh, and stared at Bridgette, her eyes alight with madness. "You know nothing about me Bridgette." she said. "But I know all about you and I know you can see the fucking blood on your hands."

"No, you don't." Bridgette said. "You don't know anything about me."

"Yes we do." said Shane. "We know all sorts of things about you. We know you cheated on Geoff with Duncan. We know you were raped by McLean. We know you're responsible for McLean getting thrown in prison. And we know it is your fault that your friends are dying. It's your fault because you wouldn't give McLean what he wanted."

Bridgette froze at these words. She had forgotten all about McLean's offer to see things from his perspective and his promise that he would leave the others alone if she just conceded to his request. But now that Shane had mentioned it, she realized he was right. If she had just taken McLean's offer, none of this would have happened. And as this realization washed over her fresh tears began to roll down her cheeks in a torrent.

"That's right Bridgette." Shane said. "You denied McLean and it cost Jen her life. And then it cost Harold, Cody, Sierra, Caitlin, Eva, Tricia, Chrissy, Sadie, Noah and Izzy their lives. So the blood is on your hands. If you had just given McLean what he wanted, they would still be alive. But you didn't and now they're all dead."

"Dead, because you were to selfish to give McLean what he wanted." Cecily said, taking over so Shane could gloat. "You were selfish, you weren't thinking about them, you were only thinking about yourself, weren't you?"

"No." Bridgette sobbed. "I swear I didn't mean for them to get hurt."

"Really?" Cecily asked, disbelief in her voice. "If that's true then why did you deny McLean? Did you think he wouldn't keep his promise to kill them?"

"No, but I thought I could stop him before he had a chance to carry it out." Bridgette answered, her voice ragged and hoarse.

"Well that was a great gamble, wasn't it?" said Shane, his tone mocking. "Seriously, Bridgette, you're a fucking idiot. You thought you could stop McLean before he killed your friends. That's just fucking stupid."

"Shut up." Bridgette breathed, barely able to speak through the tears. "Just shut up and leave me alone."

"And what are you going to do if we don't?" Shane asked. "Are you gonna try and stop us. Because that's bound to fail. You can't stop anyone Bridgette. You're worthless. You're a worthless, talentless, spineless little bitch and you deserve to feel pain. You deserve to suffer and die. The world will be a better place without you and I'm going-" His sentence cut off as Bridgette's fist connected with his face.

"I SAID, SHUT THE FUCK UP!" she screamed, rage taking the place of her fear and sorrow. "I don't want to hear anymore of your shit. Leave me alone or I swear to God I will kill you both where you stand."

"If you're so confident you can take us, why don't you try?" Cecily taunted.

Rage thudding in her ears, Bridgette lunged at Cecily, swinging for her face. But her fist connected with nothing but air as Cecily easily dodged the blow. Bridgette spun and swung at Shane, but he also dodged her with ease. As she turned to attack Cecily she felt a sharp stab of pain in her stomach and doubled over again, blood dribbling out of her mouth.

"Oh, Bridgette, you're bleeding." Cecily said, her tone full of mock concern. "Do you need some help?"

"Fuck...you." Bridgette gasped, before coughing up more blood.

"You see Bridgette." Shane said. "You can't take us. You're too weak. It's all the evil you've done. It's made your soul weak and because of that you will never be able to beat us. The blood is on your hands and because of that, you're going to die alone, unloved, unwanted."

"Damn you." Bridgette gasped again. "Damn...you...to hell."

Shane reached down then and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her off the ground with one hand. She gagged as his hand squeezed down on her throat, her hands clawing at his arm to no avail. "Poor little Bridgette." he said. "So weak and pathetic. I should squeeze the life out of you right now, but I won't. Killing you will be McLean's pleasure. But I want you so mentally broken when you face him that I'm going to keep telling you how worthless you are." He released her then, her body dropping to the ground in a heap.

For a moment Bridgette lay, gasping and coughing, and then she heard Shane's voice repeating over and over again that it was her fault. As his voice grew louder she began sobbing, the tears rolling down her face in a torrent. "What should I do?" she asked, after several minutes of this.

Shane leaned in close, pulling her to her feet. "Run Bridgette." he said, his tone full of malice. "Run and keep running until you can't run anymore."

Bridgette felt herself shiver and then she turned and ran, their laughter echoing in her ears.

* * *

><p>Bridgette ran for what seemed like an eternity before her legs gave out and she collapsed, her face slamming into the pavement with enough force to momentarily daze her. Shane and Cecily's words were still echoing in her head and she was shaking with a mixture of sorrow and rage. Tears still flowed freely down her cheeks and blood still bubbled up from somewhere within her, but she ignored them both, her mind consumed by temporary psychosis.<p>

_"They're right, you know." _her inner darkness said. _"The blood is on your hands."_

_"No, it's not." _the voice that was her compassionate side said. _"They were just playing with you. You are not at fault."_

_"Yes you are." _the darkness said. _"You are to blame and you are selfish. You could have prevented all of this, but you chose not to."_

_ "No, I tried, but McLean is too strong for me."_ the light said.

_"That's just an excuse you've made up to make yourself feel better." _the darkness said. _"The truth is you could have stopped him, but you chose not to because you don't care about your friends. You only care about yourself. That's why I tried to get you to end it last time we spoke."_

_ "But if I kill myself, you die too."_ the light answered.

_"It's a risk I'm willing to take."_ the darkness said. _"Shane and Cecily are right. You are worthless Bridgette. All you do is get the people you care about hurt. You need to die, so just lay here and do it. Let death take you, you know you want it."_

"No, I don't want to die." Bridgette gasped, speaking out loud. "I won't give up, not now, not ever. I will stop McLean."

_"No you won't." _the darkness said, speaking with Shane's voice. _"You won't, you've failed. So just die. Die and decay, alone and forgotten."_

Bridgette gasped, terrified of the darkness in her own mind. "Yes." she muttered. "I'll just die. Need to...die..." Her voice trailed off and she coughed up more blood. She was laying on her side, curled up in a ball, hugging her knees to her chest. Everything hurt and she was gasping for air, her vision going blurry as death moved in upon her. "Must...die." she gasped again. "Must...d-die...only way to...end this..." Again her voice trailed off as she slipped into unconsciousness.

And then, she heard another voice calling her name. The sound was distorted and fuzzy, as though it was coming from far away, but she recognized it. "Duncan." she gasped.

"Bridgette?" he asked, his voice strained. "Oh God, Bridgette."

He suddenly appeared in her field of vision, looking terrified. "Duncan." she gasped again. "Help me. Please help me."

Duncan knelt beside her and pulled her close, stroking her hair as he held her. "Bridgette, what happened to you?" he asked.

"Shane and Cecily." she breathed. "They...they cornered me. Taunted me...told me it's my fault. Said I needed to die."

"I'm sorry you had to listen to their shit." Duncan said. He stood then, lifting her off the ground. "Come on, let's go home." he said. She smiled weakly and he began walking towards the house, her body limp and fragile in his arms. At some point Bridgette passed out, darkness consuming her so absolutely that she was unsure she would ever wake up.

**A/N: Well, that was a fucked up chapter, don't you think? If you're wondering what the point of that was, allow me to explain. What Shane and Cecily were trying to do was break Bridgette mentally and spiritually so she would be unable or unwilling to defend herself against McLean. And then the darkness within her took over, trying to convince her to end it all, much like it did in Alone in the Dark. So that's what that all was. Whether or not it worked, well, you'll just have to wait and see.**


	30. Sacrifices Are Made

Bridgette awoke sometime later, her head pounding and her vision blurry. It took her a moment to realize that she was in her room, though she could not recall how she had gotten there. The last thing she remembered was laying on the pavement sobbing as her mind argued with itself. She had no idea how she had gotten home or how she was still alive. All the she could remember was pain and blood and tears. But someone must have helped her, for there was no other explanation as to how she had gotten home. It was then that she noticed Duncan, who was sitting in the corner of the room watching her with a worried expression. He seemed to notice she was awake, for his expression changed to one of relief as she looked at him, her gaze questioning.

"Duncan, what's going on?" Bridgette asked, her voice hoarse and scratchy.

"You don't remember what happened to you?" Duncan asked, his tone concerned.

"No, not really." Bridgette replied. "I remember going out in search of McLean and I remember lagging behind. I remember being confronted by Shane and Cecily and I remember arguing with myself, but I can't remember the specifics. Did something bad happen?"

"I found you laying on the pavement sobbing." Duncan answered, his tone strained. "You were saying something about how you had to die and you were coughing up blood, a lot of blood. You told me about Shane and Cecily and then you passed out. I brought you back here and then Gwen and I took you to the hospital."

"Wait, I was in the hospital?" Bridgette asked. "Why? What happened to me?"

"You were bleeding internally." Duncan answered. "It seems Cecily did more damage to you than you had originally thought. You've been unconscious for three days. You underwent some minor surgery and you've been out like a light ever since."

"I've been unconscious for three days?" Bridgette asked, shocked.

"Yes, and we've all been worried sick about you." Duncan answered. "We didn't know if you were going to wake up."

"Have you found McLean yet?" Bridgette asked, though she was still in shock from learning that she had been unconscious for three days.

"No, we haven't. But we're still looking for him." Duncan replied. "And you need to relax. You've just woken up, so don't go jumping out of bed to run off and find McLean."

Bridgette gave him a dark look but did not move to get out of bed. She wanted nothing more than to go after McLean, but she sensed now was not the time to argue with Duncan about it. If everything he had just told her was true, she had come close to dying and it would likely not do her any good to aggravate her injuries. Still she felt compelled to argue, but Duncan shot her down before she could even begin.

"No, Bridgette, I will not let you try and persuade me to let you out of here." Duncan said. "I promised Gwen that I wouldn't let you go on a fucking suicide mission and I intend to keep that promise. Gwen's scary when she's pissed and I'd rather not have her coming after me. Besides, you're in no shape to be fighting anyone at the moment."

"What am I supposed to do then?" Bridgette demanded. "Do you really expect me to just sit here and do nothing? Because I can't do that, not when McLean has Geoff and my parents."

"Well, sorry to say it Blondy, but you don't really have a choice." Duncan said, with a slight smile.

"Don't you dare fucking smile at me like this isn't a big deal." Bridgette shouted. "You can't keep me here and you can't stop me-" She paused then, wincing in pain. She glanced down at her belly, which was bandaged, obviously from the surgery Duncan had mentioned. "Well shit." she muttered, glancing back at Duncan, who was still smiling.

"See, I told you." he said, his tone amused. "I told you you're not in any shape to fight."

Bridgette gave him the finger, her glare burning. "Stop smiling at me like you've won some kind of battle, you fucking prick." she snapped, her tone wiping the smile from his face.

At that moment there was a knock at the door and Duncan moved to answer it, revealing Gwen, who also looked amused. "I take it Bridgette's awake." she said, barely concealing her grin.

"Yeah, she's awake." Duncan muttered. "And you were right. She still wants to go after McLean, even though she can't."

"I assume you've explained to her why she can't?" Gwen asked, glancing at Duncan.

"Yeah, I told her she's in no shape to fight at the moment, but I don't think it's really sunk in." Duncan replied, with a quick glance at Bridgette, who was still glaring at him.

"Hello, I'm still in the room." she said. "I can hear what you two are saying, you know."

"Sorry about that." Gwen said, turning to face Bridgette. "But you do understand why we can't let you out right? You do realize that you nearly died thanks to the damage Cecily did to you right? Because that's the only reason we're keeping you here."

Bridgette didn't immediately answer, her anger and irritation preventing her from speaking. Finally, after a tense moment of silence, she nodded before adding, "Alright, I'll stay here, but you two need to keep searching for McLean while I recover. We cannot afford to let him escape again, understood?"

"Okay, we'll keep searching for him." Gwen replied. "In the meantime, you just rest and let us handle things, okay?"

Bridgette nodded again and Gwen left, content that Bridgette wasn't going to do anything stupid. Duncan remained, though Bridgette ignored him, finally drifting back into sleep while he watched over her.

* * *

><p>Over the next four days Bridgette slowly regained her strength and resolve, all the while thinking of ways to find McLean. She had come up with a few ideas, but they all seemed to be futile, especially since her friends had searched the town more than once had come up with no tangible leads. Bridgette was beginning to get frustrated and she could feel her hope slipping away with each passing day. And as her hope faded she found herself thinking about what Shane and Cecily had told her more and more. Perhaps they had been right. Perhaps it was all her fault and maybe that was the reason she couldn't find McLean. Maybe she wasn't supposed to, maybe she didn't deserve to. It made sense, for if this was all really her fault, then she didn't have any business searching for her friends or trying to stop McLean. But that couldn't be right. It wasn't her fault and she couldn't lose hope, not when there was still a chance she could win. Still, it was hard to keep going with so little to point them in the direction of their quarry. But all of that was about to change, much to Bridgette's surprise, as it seemed McLean was done playing games.<p>

* * *

><p>Four days after waking up, Bridgette found herself sitting in the living room with Gwen, Duncan, and Owen. The others were gathered in the kitchen and Bridgette was keenly aware that they were talking about her. It seemed they all thought it was still too soon for her to be up and about, but she was tired of laying in her bed. She was feeling better, though it was unlikely that she was fully healed, and Duncan and Gwen could no longer justify keeping her in her room. Still, they were not about to let her go off on her own to find McLean, no matter how many times she told them she was okay. But there was no harm in letting her come downstairs so she could participate in discussions for how to move forward.<p>

"Well, I still think you should rest some more." Owen said, glancing at Bridgette.

"Yes Owen, you've made your opinion on this subject abundantly clear." Bridgette said. "But like I said, I'm feeling a lot better and I think we need to get back to a full scale search."

"That's all fine and good in theory, Miss Wells, but we cannot risk you getting injured again." said Ron, as he and the others entered the living room.

"Look, I know you're all concerned about me, but I'm fine okay." Bridgette said. "Nothing is going to happen to me, I promise."

"Yeah, that's what you said last time and you end up in hospital." Wyatt said.

Bridgette did not respond and Wyatt could tell he had touched a nerve. He shot her an apologetic look just as the doorbell rang.

Puzzled, Gwen rose from her seat and made her way over to the door, opening it to find the porch empty save for an envelop which lay on the ground in front of her. Now more confused than ever, Gwen picked up the envelop and made her way back to the living room, where the others were waiting expectantly.

"Who was it?" D.J. asked, glancing at Gwen, curiosity in his tone.

"There was no one there." Gwen answered. "But someone left this." She held up the envelop, which drew everyone's attention like a magnet.

"Who's it from?" Bridgette asked, curiosity in her tone as well.

"No idea." Gwen replied. "It's addressed to you though." She held the envelop out and Bridgette took it, her heart racing.

With trembling hands she tore the envelop open, finding only a scrap of paper contained within. She pulled the paper out and read what was written on it, her eyes going wide with disbelief.

"What's it say?" Tyler asked, with an impatient glance at Bridgette.

"It's from McLean." she answered. "He says to meet him at 1214 Cascade Street tomorrow. He says if I do, he'll let the others go."

"What?" Duncan asked. "Is he crazy? Does he really think you're gonna fall for that bullshit? It's a trap, it has to be."

"Now hold on a minute Duncan." said Chef. "There's no proof it's a trap. I mean, okay, it does seem likely, but perhaps we should consider the possibility that it isn't."

"But there's nothing at 1214 Cascade Street." Gwen said. "Well, except for the abandoned warehouse that used to be a store of some kind."

"Which is exactly why it makes sense to consider the possibility that McLean is using it as his new hideout, Miss Carver." said Chef. "If you take into account that his last hideout was an abandoned mansion, then it makes perfect sense for him to seek out another abandoned building to transfer his prisoners to."

"He does have a point, you know." said Bridgette, with a satisfied smile.

"Of course you'd agree with him." Gwen muttered. "You've been wanting to go after McLean since your fight with Cecily and you'll take any excuse you can get."

"So, this is as good a time as any to do it." Bridgette answered. "At least now we know where he is."

"Where he claims to be, you mean." Duncan said. "Or have you forgotten how the search of the mansion ended?"

"Yeah, it ended with us rescuing Nikki." Bridgette snapped, her anger starting to rise.

"Yeah, and we also found the corpses of five others, including Izzy." Duncan countered. "Are you sure you want to take that risk again?"

"God would you listen to yourself?" Bridgette shouted. "This is what we've been waiting for and you won't even consider the possibility of checking it out just because we've been wrong before. Well fuck that. I'm going and you can't stop me."

For a moment no one spoke, all of them stunned by Bridgette's outburst, and then Gwen spoke again. "Alright, we'll go." she said. "You're right Bridgette, we might not get another chance to do this, so we should take advantage of the situation while we can."

"Thank you." Bridgette said, smiling to show her gratitude. Gwen nodded and they set about making plans to safely approach McLean's new stronghold. With any luck, by this time tomorrow this whole thing would be over.

* * *

><p>The next morning Bridgette awoke feeling like she hadn't gotten any sleep. She had spent most of the night worrying that she was making the wrong decision by accepting McLean's invitation. But she was determined to go to that address no matter what, even if it was a trap. At least she'd get to see Geoff and her parents again before she died if it was a trap. And if it wasn't, then she intended to take McLean's life and free her friends from his prison.<p>

Confidant that it wasn't a trap, Bridgette made her way downstairs to find the others waiting for her. They were all dressed for battle, as none of them were expecting to just walk in and free the others. McLean likely had some sort of plan ready for them and they were going to be prepared this time. Bridgette wondered for a moment where they had gotten all the weapons, before realizing the Kings were probably responsible for that. She was extremely grateful they were all coming with her, as she wasn't sure she could face McLean alone.

"Everyone ready to go?" she asked, glancing around the group.

Each of them nodded in turn and Bridgette smiled before leading the way out of the house. They arrived at 1214 Cascade Street twenty minutes later, finding McLean standing out in front of the building. He was flanked by Shane on his right and Cecily on his left and there was a small group of other people standing behind them. Like Bridgette and her friends, McLean's forces were heavily armed and Bridgette had a fleeting thought of this being her equivalent of an ancient battle.

"Ah Bridgette, you came." McLean said, his clear voice drawing Bridgette out of her thoughts. "You're friends are inside. Come and get them, if you can."

With that Shane and Cecily stepped forward, both of them smiling, as though they had been anticipating this fight for days. As they approached, Duncan lowered himself into a fighting stance, his eyes blazing with an intense fury. Bridgette followed Duncan's lead, feeling her blood surge with adrenaline at the thought of finally ending this. And then Shane and Cecily were upon them, McLean's other forces right behind their leaders.

Cecily launched herself at Bridgette, a maddening look of blood-lust on her face. However, before Cecily could reach her target, Gwen was in her face, knocking her back with a punch that connected with her jaw. Stunned by Gwen's quick reaction Bridgette simply stared at her friend for a moment before throwing herself into the fight as well.

While Bridgette and Gwen engaged Cecily, Duncan battled Shane by himself. He remembered perfectly well how adept Shane was at combat, but he would not allow Shane to beat him again. He was countering Shane's blows with ease this time, though he could sense that Shane was holding back.

"Come on Shane, stop holding back on me." Duncan shouted. "I know you're a better fighter than this, so give all you've got, you fucking shitbag."

"Oh, I'll give you what I've got all right." Shane said, before punching Duncan in the face with all of his strength. Duncan staggered backwards, blood gushing from his nose, but quickly recovered. He then threw a kick at Shane's head, his heel connecting with Shane's temple, knocking Shane on his ass. Before Shane could react, Duncan was on top of him, his fists connecting with Shane's face repeatedly, drawing blood.

As Duncan continued to pound on Shane, Tyler, Justin, Alejandro, Wyatt, D.J. and Owen were fighting their way trough McLean's other soldiers, trying to get to the building. The Kings and Dr. McLellen were doing the same, though their efforts were hindered by a series of explosive traps McLean had set up around the outside of the building. Each trap released an explosion of flames and shrapnel that forced Bridgette's friends to dive out of the way every time they got close to the building. Bridgette was horrified by the number of close calls they had already had, but she could not afford to focus on the traps, not with Cecily breathing down her neck.

"You like McLean's traps Bridgette?" Cecily asked, her tone mocking.

Bridgette didn't answer, instead choosing to launch herself at Cecily, aiming to take her head off. Cecily easily avoided the attack and continued with her taunting. "I've got to say Bridgette, I didn't think you'd show up today after the way Shane and I broke you the other day."

Again Bridgett ignored her, but this time it was Gwen who attacked, her punch connecting with Cecily's face. "Shut up, you stupid bitch." Gwen snarled, before kicking Cecily in the ribs, smiling as one of them cracked.

Across the parking lot, Duncan and Shane were still beating on each other, neither of them showing any signs of fatigue. Both of them had landed numerous blows and they were both bleeding from multiple wounds, though neither of them seemed to have landed a truly decisive blow yet.

"God, why won't you fucking die?" Shane shouted, his composure faltering as frustration overtook him.

"I could ask you the same thing." Duncan said. "But I won't because I know you'll just come up with some bullshit answer."

Shane just laughed at this before nailing Duncan in the gut with a powerful shot. Duncan gasped and doubled over in pain, just as Shane's knee connected with his face. Blood exploded from Duncan's nose and Shane smiled, his grin twisted and mocking. However, just as he began to soak in his apparent victory, Duncan rose to his feet and drilled Shane with an uppercut that lifted Shane off the ground, sending him sprawling, blood spraying from his mouth. Duncan then grabbed Shane by the head before smashing his face into the pavement. He then drug Shane over to McLean, a smile on his face as he stared into McLean's horrified gaze.

"Looks like your little lackey isn't as good of a fighter as he thought he was." Duncan said, his tone full of malicious triumph.

"Don't be so sure of that Duncan." McLean said, his expression changing from horrified to amused, as everyone else stopped to watch.

Duncan stared at McLean, perplexed and then Shane sprang to life, tackling Duncan with the force of an angry bull. "Never let your guard down Duncan." Shane said, as he punched Duncan repeatedly in the face.

"Get the fuck off of me." Duncan shouted, shoving Shane off of him with all of his might. He then grabbed Shane and spun him around, slamming him into the ground just as one of McLean's traps exploded. Hundreds of sharp spikes were launched into the air by the force of the explosion, nearly all of them impaling Duncan and Shane.

"DUNCAN!" Bridgette screamed, horrified by what she was witnessing. She saw McLean's eyes widen in horror as well and realized that he had triggered the trap.

For a moment no one moved while Duncan and Shane just stood there, held up only by the spikes impaling them through multiple parts of their bodies. And then Chef rushed forward, Bridgette and Gwen right behind him. Together they hauled Duncan off the spikes, leaving Shane for McLean to deal with. They carried Duncan away from the spikes, laying him on the ground a short distance away. Blood was pouring from multiple wounds and it was obvious he wasn't going to make it. Still Bridgette would not let him go without a fight.

"Duncan, just hold on." she begged. "Please hold on."

"Bridgette." he gasped. "I...I don't think...I don't think I'm gonna make it."

"No, don't say that. You can survive this, I know you can." Bridgette said, tears starting to roll down her cheeks.

"Bridgette...listen to me." Duncan said. "I'm not gonna make it. Don't waste time...on...me. I love you Bridgette...I've always...loved...you..." His voice trailed off as his body went limp, death taking him.

"Duncan?" Bridgette asked. "Duncan, please answer me."

"Bridgette, he's gone. I'm sorry." said Gwen, her voice choked with emotion.

"No, please God no." Bridgette sobbed, tears now flowing freely down her face. It wasn't true, it couldn't be true, Duncan could not be dead. But as she looked into his cold, dead eyes, she knew it was true. Duncan was dead and there was nothing she could do. And as this realization washed over her she heard an anguished scream from across the lot, a scream that told her Shane was dead as well.

Somehow McLean's scream brought Bridgette back to her senses, as she stood, turning to find McLean aiming a gun at her head, a twisted, painful smile on his face. Before Bridgette even had time to react McLean squeezed the trigger, but the bullets did not strike Bridgette as someone else took her place. Glancing around in surprise she noticed Cecily laying at her feet, blood pumping from the gunshot wounds in her chest.

"Cecily?" Bridgette asked, falling to her knees beside Cecily's body.

"Bridgette." Cecily gasped. "Look at...me. I am so...so...sorry for what...what I have done to...to you." She fell silent then and for a moment Bridgette thought she was dead before noticing that Cecily was still breathing.

"Cecily, you saved me. Why?" Bridgette asked. "I thought you revered McLean?"

"Lies...it was all lies." Cecily gasped, blood trickling from the corners of her mouth. "I was...brain...brainwashed. I never willingly chose to follow McLean. He did...something...to me. I didn't want to...follow...him. I am...I am...sorry for what I have done. I am...I...sorry..." Her voice trailed off as death took her, her last breath a choking gasp as blood filled her lungs.

For a moment Bridgette sat in shock, staring at Cecily's lifeless body, too numb to react. And then a rage like nothing she had ever felt before flooded her mind, shutting out all other thoughts and feelings as her mind and soul were consumed by one thought and one thought only, the overpowering desire to kill Chris McLean.

**A/N: Well, there you go folks. Part one of the final battle. Shane and Cecily are now dead and yes, so is Duncan. I bet some of you are surprised I killed him, but I felt it was necessary for him to sacrifice himself for Bridgette. It also allows for the end of the love triangle. So, that's how that ends. Only two chapters to go and by the end of it I promise we'll know who lives and who dies. **


	31. Chris McLean Must Die

For a moment Bridgette continued to stare a Cecily's lifeless corpse and then she looked up, her blazing gaze locking with McLean's. For another long moment they simply stared at one another, as if they were each waiting for the other to make the next move. Bridgette could see fear in McLean's eyes, true fear, the kind of fear that comes from facing your worst nightmare. And McLean must have felt this fear as well for as Bridgette's gaze bore into him he turned and ran, all cockiness and ambition abandoned as he fled for his life.

Seeing McLean run Bridgette pulled herself into a crouch, reaching for the gun tucked in Cecily's belt. Her muscles tensed as she prepared to pursue him, but momentary hesitation held her back. She could feel the eyes of her friends on her back and she knew they were all wondering what she was going to do.

As if Bridgette's mind was calling out to her Gwen suddenly appeared beside her, a look of concern on her face. "Bridgette, what are you thinking?" she asked, concern in her tone as well.

"Chris McLean must die." Bridgette answered through clenched teeth. With that she launched herself to her feet and took off after McLean, ignoring the cries of her friends, her mind consumed with the desire to kill McLean.

Bridgette could feel her adrenaline spike as she chased McLean, a particularly powerful jolt hitting her as he came into sight again a few blocks from the warehouse. He had a decent lead on her, but she was quickly closing the gap and she could see the fear on his face as she got closer. She could almost smell the fear rolling off of him and the sensation made her blood surge. The moment of reckoning had finally come and McLean was folding like a wilted flower, all of his bravado gone. The feeling was intoxicating and Bridgette knew now, more than she ever had before, that she could do it. She could take his life and feel no guilt, no remorse, no mercy. She could do it and her soul would be spared, because death was what McLean deserved. After everything he had done, death was what he deserved and she would gladly give it to him.

McLean seemed to sense this, for at that moment he spun and fired, the bullet barely missing Bridgette's shoulder as she rolled to her her left. She exhaled a quick sigh of relief and returned fire, one of her bullets striking him in the arm. He screamed in pain, but did not go down, his will to win keeping him on his feet. Bridgette cursed him for not falling and fired again, but he avoided the shot this time and kept running.

Cursing again Bridgette pursued him, intent on keeping him in her sight. She fired a third shot, this one barely missing his left leg. She heard him curse before he spun and fired again. This time his bullet found its mark, tearing through Bridgette's left shoulder like a knife through butter. The pain was intense and she screamed aloud, unable to keep her reaction private. But, though the pain was like nothing she had ever experienced before, she did not fall, her determination keeping her standing. She saw McLean's eyes widen in surprise and fear before he turned and started running again.

Shaking off the pain she moved to pursue him, wondering how much longer this chase would last. It wasn't that she was getting tired that made her wonder this, it was more of a desire to see how long McLean would run before he faced her like a man. She did not want to kill him while he was running, as something about that seemed dishonorable. No, if she was going to kill him, she want him to be facing her so she could see his eyes go dark as his life left him.

"Come on Chris, why are you running?" she called, her voice taunting. "I thought this is what you wanted? I thought facing me in a fight to the death was your goal all along. Or was I wrong?"

McLean did not answer, save for firing at her again, the bullet missing its target badly. Bridgette rolled her eyes and returned fire, her shots missing as well. Seeming to gain confidence from her misses, McLean fired blindly behind him, the bullet grazing Bridgette's side, making her yelp in pain. She saw McLean glance back over his shoulder and smile, which only made her anger grow stronger, the rage fueling her desire to kill him.

For the next several minutes they ran, McLean in the lead and Bridgette pursuing, each of them firing off several more shots, though none of the bullets found their targets. They were now near the edge of town and Bridgette was surprised no one had followed them. She had expected the Kings or Gwen to be right on her tail, but none of them had come. No police had joined the chase either, which Bridgette found strange, considering she and McLean were running through residential neighborhoods firing wildly at one another. But apparently no one cared, as no police had joined the chase and no civilians had come out to complain. Bridgette supposed it was for the best, as she wanted to do this on her own and having police, civilians, or her friends chasing her would only slow down the inevitable. She was going to kill McLean and there was nothing in the world that could stop her.

Again, McLean seemed to sense this for he suddenly stopped running, spinning to face Bridgette, his gun rising until it was level with her head. Bridgette froze and saw McLean squeeze the trigger, but nothing happened. No bullet fired and a second later they both realized McLean was out of ammunition. Bridgette smiled, for she still had two bullets left in her gun, and McLean was now at her mercy. Seeming to sense this, McLean held up his hands in surrender, his gun hanging loose in his right hand.

"Well shit." he muttered. "It appears I'm out of ammunition. What say we settle this the old fashioned way, without guns?"

Bridgette eyed him with suspicion, unsure if he was trying to lure her into a trap. It was likely that he was, but she held the upper hand at the moment and realized that the next move was hers. "Alright, drop your gun and we'll do this the old fashioned way." she said, laying her gun on the ground beside her.

McLean smiled and nodded, his gun sliding from his hand. It hit the ground with a thud and McLean stepped forward, lowering himself into a combat stance. Bridgette followed suit and for a moment they simply stared at one another again, each of them measuring the other. And then McLean moved, his speed catching Bridgette off guard and before she could react he was in her face, his fist connecting painfully with her jaw.

Bridgette staggered backwards from the force of his blow, but quickly shook it off, her adrenaline kicking into high gear again. Shaking her head she dove to the left as he swung at her again, avoiding the blow by inches. She then swung at him, her fist connecting with his face a second later, sending him staggering backwards. He also shook off the blow quickly and aimed a powerful kick at her head, which she easily avoided. But his next blow connected with her face, drawing blood from her nose. McLean smiled, seemingly satisfied that he had drawn first blood, and moved to take Bridgette down with another kick.

Again Bridgette avoided the move, making McLean curse, and connected with another of her own, driving her fist into his ribs. McLean gasped in pain and staggered away from her, trying to catch his breath. But Bridgette had no intention of letting him breath and she was on him before he could regain his wind. With McLean helpless, Bridgette drove her fists into his face repeatedly, each blow drawing blood. She smiled as he yelped in pain, somehow feeling joy that she was kicking his ass. It was a feeling she had never felt before and under normal circumstances she would have been appalled by these feelings, but now all she felt was euphoria and overwhelming joy. Unfortunately, the feeling wouldn't last as McLean grabbed her around the waist and heaved her off of him with a grunt of pain and frustration.

"Get the fuck off of me, bitch." he snarled, as Bridgette hit the ground, landing painfully on her right hip.

She felt something pop and for a moment she wondered if her hip was broken, but the pain subsided too quickly for that to be the case. Wincing, she pushed herself back to her feet, only to have McLean punch her in the face again. She hit the ground again, this time landing on her back, the force of the impact crushing the air from her lungs. Stunned, she could only watch as McLean's hands closed in on her, his fingers twining in the fabric of her shirt as he hauled her to her feet. He then lifted her off the ground before slamming her back into the ground with such force that she was certain he had broken her back. But as he moved in again, she found that she could still move her legs and she aimed a kick at his midsection, connecting just before he could grab her again.

McLean staggered back and Bridgette pushed herself into a sitting position, gasping as pain radiated through her whole body. After taking a moment to regain her wind, she pushed herself to her feet and moved towards McLean. But he was ready for her and before she could react he drove his fist into her stomach, just like Cecily had done. Once again the air was crushed from her lungs and this time Bridgette felt something rupture within her.

Gasping, she staggered backwards, a tiny bit of blood dribbling from her mouth. Before she even had a chance to shake the blow off, McLean hit her with another one, knocking her to the ground before throwing himself on top of her, pinning her to the ground. And then his hands closed around her throat, squeezing even harder than Cecily had.

Bridgette choked as McLean's hands squeezed in on her throat, his grip vice-like. She could feel the pressure of his hands as they crushed her trachea and could feel blood as it flowed into her mouth, gagging her. Reflexively, she clawed at his arms, her nails tearing his flesh with little effectiveness. She could see his face, looming above her, his mouth twisted into a sadistic smile as he choked the life out of her.

"Goodbye Bridgette." he said, his tone full of joy and satisfaction. "It has been a pleasure knowing you and an even greater pleasure taking your life."

With that, his grip tightened even more and Bridgette's felt her life begin to fade, McLean's face and the sky behind him blurring into a wave of formless color. There was a buzzing in her brain, like the sound of angry bees and she could feel her body going limp as it relaxed into death, her hands still feebly trying to pry McLean off of her. And then, from somewhere deep inside the haze of impending death, she heard Duncan's voice begging her not to give up and she felt a jolt of adrenaline shoot through her like a bolt of lightning. Reflexively, she kicked out, her knee connecting with McLean's groin, making him howl in pain, his hands releasing her.

Coughing and choking, she rolled onto her stomach and began crawling over to her gun, every movement sending a wave of pain through her body. Moments later, she reached her gun, after what seemed like an eternity. She could hear McLean groaning in pain somewhere behind her, but she didn't turn around to see where he was. With a monumental effort she pushed herself into a sitting position, her fingers closing around the stock of her gun. Then, after taking a moment to regain her wind, she hauled herself to her feet, turning to find McLean standing as well. Wiping blood from her mouth, she brought her gun up, aiming it at his head, her rage and determination thudding in her ears.

For a moment she stood, gun trained on McLean's head, and watched him raise his left hand in a gesture of surrender. She smiled again, her index finger moving to the trigger, but before she could squeeze it, something stopped her. Again she tried to squeeze the trigger and again nothing happened. And then, as though her arms were acting of their own accord, she began to lower her gun, only stopping when the gun was safely at her side.

"I can't do it." she breathed, her voice barely a whisper.

"What was that Bridgette?" McLean asked. "I couldn't hear you?"

"I can't do it." Bridgette repeated. "I can't kill you. I want to, but for whatever reason I can't find the strength to pull the trigger."

"What's the matter Bridgette, lost your nerve?" McLean asked, his tone mocking.

"Shut up." Bridgette said, tears now beginning to roll down her cheeks.

"Don't feel bad Bridgette, some of us just aren't made to be killers." McLean said, his tone still mocking. "Though you should know that this means I win."

Bridgette stared at him a moment, confused, and then she saw the gun in his hand. He smiled and pulled the trigger, the bullet striking her in the left side of her abdomen. Bridgette felt her whole body jolt and looked down, her left had rising to touch the wound. Her fingertips came away red, blood dripping off of them even as it flowed from the wound. She looked back up at McLean, her expression one of stunned surprise.

"But...but you were out of bullets." she gasped, her tone still confused.

"Yes, but I had another gun hidden out here." McLean said. "Why do you think I led you here?" With that he squeezed the trigger again, the bullet striking Bridgette on the right side of her abdomen.

Bridgette staggered backwards this time, gasping, as blood began to dribble out of her mouth. "N-no." she gasped. "This...this is...not how it...ends."

"Oh yes Bridgette, this is how it ends." McLean said. "This is how it was always meant to end. I've been telling you that since the beginning." For the third time he pulled the trigger, this bullet striking Bridgette in between the other two, just above her belly button.

Bridgette gasped again, doubling over now as blood bubbled up out of her mouth in a torrent. She choked, tasting the sweet, coppery flavor of her blood and stared at McLean, her eyes wide with pain and terror.

"Yes, this is how it ends." McLean said, his voice more of a dull rumble now.

Bridgette heard the crack of the next gunshot, but nothing struck her. A minute later, she realized her right arm was extended in front of her, smoke trailing from the barrel of her gun. It was then that she noticed the bloody wound in McLean's chest, just below his heart, and she realized she had shot him. Somehow she had found the strength to raise her gun and shoot him. And as this realization washed over her, McLean keeled over backwards, hitting the ground with a thud.

Bridgette staggered over to him, dropping to her knees beside him. He was still breathing, though it was obvious he wasn't going to make it. She smiled then, showing her bloody teeth, and leaned in close to him. "Looks like...I...win." she breathed, her voice full of triumph despite the three gunshot wounds in her abdomen.

"Yes, it appears you do." McLean said. "But you should know, Shane and I were not the only ones. There are others like us and there is one man in particular who will come for you and your friends. He will come for-" His sentence died as Bridgette discharged her final bullet into his head, killing him instantly.

She smiled again, the gun slipping from her hand, before she collapsed next to him, all her strength gone. For a moment she lay there next to McLean's body before somehow summoning the strength to push herself to her feet again. With one last glance at McLean she turned and began walking back towards town, each step a painful step closer to death.

Minutes later, after walking for what seemed like an eternity, Bridgette collapsed again, her body slumping against the side of an abandoned building. She could feel the blood oozing from her wounds and she felt herself slide down to the ground, leaving a streak of blood on the wall. For a moment she sat there alone, waiting for death to come, her vision slowly fading. And then four hazy figures appeared in front of her and she heard a familiar voice speak her name.

"Oh God, Bridgette." the voice, which she recognized as Chef's, said. "That bastard shot you."

Bridgette said nothing, her eyes rolling in their sockets, death coming quickly now.

"Bridgette, where is McLean?" Chef asked, his tone worried.

Bridgette lifted her hand and pointed in the direction she had just come from. "That way." she gasped. "He...he's...dead."

Chef nodded, and he and Coach Halder moved off in the direction Bridgette had pointed, while Dr. McLellen and Ron moved to help her. "Oh Bridgette, we need to get you to the hospital." Dr. McLellen said, his voice strained.

Bridgette coughed then, blood dribbling out of her mouth. She motioned for Dr. McLellen to move closer and he obeyed, leaning in to hear what she had to say. She reached up and touched him, her fingertips brushing against his cheek, leaving streaks of blood behind.

"Thank...you." she gasped. "Thank you...for not...betraying...me. Thank..." Her voice trailed off as the darkness took her, her head slumping back against the wall. Her eyes remained open, locked on Dr. McLellen's face, her final sensation the sound of her heart's final beat.

**A/N: And that was it, the end of the line. McLean is dead, Bridgette has won, but at what cost? It would appear that her own life was the price paid for McLean's demise, but is this really the case? To find out you'll jyst have to wait and read the epilogue which will be up later this week. Until then just remember that this is a story and for a story to have stakes, characters must die. That's all I'll say for now, so just keep that in mind. **


	32. Epilogue: Lessons Learned

Darkness, suffocating and oppressive, pressed in all around her, shutting all other feelings out. There was no pain here, in this world of darkness, no pain, or fear, or anger, or joy. Only darkness, all around her, flooding her soul and overpowering her senses. And then, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, there was light cutting through the darkness like a knife. And with the light came sensation, first the sound of her beating heart, and then the throbbing in her hand where the IV was inserted. These were followed by the dull rumble of voices, the feeling of something soft touching her skin, and the paranoid feeling that someone or something was watching her.

As these sensations washed over her Bridgette opened her eyes, blinking against the bright lights that shone above her. The first thing her eyes focused on was Geoff's face, which was smiling down at her from what seemed like an immense distance. She tried to smile back, but her mouth didn't seem to want to work properly. And then she saw her parents and the smile came as relief flooded her system like a river spilling over its banks. Her parents were smiling at her as well and they weren't the only ones. The Kings, Dr. McLellen, Gwen, Nikki, Heather, Lindsey, Courtney, Jude, Starr, Marlowe, LeShawna, Trent, Jonesy, Beth, Katie, Owen, Wyatt, D.J., Tyler, Alejandro, Justin, Zeke, Darth, Julie, they were all there and they were all okay, from what she could see.

"Hey Bridgette, welcome back to the world of the living." Gwen said, her tone relieved.

Bridgette just smiled again, too overcome with emotions to speak. For a moment she just stared at them all, trying to memorize their faces, in case something like this ever happened again. And then it clicked in her mind, what was she doing in the hospital?

"Why am I in the hospital?" she asked, glancing at Gwen. "And what do you mean welcome back to the world of the living?"

"Don't you remember what happened to you honey?" her mother asked, glancing at her with concern.

"Not really." Bridgette admitted. "I mean, I remember chasing McLean and fighting him, but everything else is kind of fuzzy."

"The Kings found you near death." Gwen said. "You had been shot and you were bleeding everywhere. We all thought you were gonna die."

"Actually, if we're being honest, you did die." Dr. McLellen said. "Twice, in fact."

Bridgette stared at him, perplexed, while everyone else flinched at his words, as though they were trying to forget something bad and he had just reminded them of it.

"I'm sorry, I don't really understand what you guys are telling me." Bridgette said. "You're saying I died, but that doesn't make any sense. If I died, then how am I talking to all of you now? Unless you're all dead as well?"

"No, we're all alive, I assure you." said Dr. McLellen, with an amused smile. "But you did, technically, die. I restarted your heart twice and then you underwent eighteen hours of surgery. You've been unconscious for just over a week."

"What?" Bridgette asked, shocked. "I've been unconscious for a week? What the hell did McLean do to me?"

"Well, like we said, he shot you." Gwen said. "At least four times, three of them in your abdomen. You lost a lot of blood and the doctors thought it was best to keep you in a medically induced coma for a while."

"Did I at least do some damage to McLean?" Bridgette asked, still trying to process everything she had been told.

"Yes, you did." Chef answered. "In fact, you killed him. So, you succeeded in your mission Miss Wells, congratulations."

"So, it's over?" Bridgette asked, staring at Chef with a hopeful expression.

"Yes, it's over." Chef confirmed. "McLean will not be harming you or anyone else ever again. He's gone and the world is better off without him. With any luck his philosophy died with him."

These words brought a fragment of memory to the surface, making Bridgette shudder. McLean had mentioned that there were others, so maybe it wasn't over. Maybe this wasn't the end, maybe they would be fighting for the rest of their lives. Then again, McLean may have just been trying to get the last word in. Maybe there were no others, maybe this was indeed the end.

"Miss Wells, is something wrong?" Chef asked, glancing at Bridgette with concern. Apparently he had noticed her sudden shift in mood and she quickly moved to dismiss him.

"No, everything is fine." she lied. "Except for the fact that I'm stuck in the hospital again."

"Yeah, well, that's life I guess." said Nikki, her tone amused.

"What are you smiling about?" Bridgette asked. "You hate hospitals."

"I do, but I've come to appreciate them a bit more in my time here." Nikki answered. "I mean, it's not so bad, when you really think about it. It's better than being dead."

"I guess that's true." Bridgette said, glancing down at her heavily bandaged midsection. "Though, given all that's happened, death might not be such a bad thing."

"Don't say that Bridgette." Geoff said. "How could death be a good thing?"

"Well, if we were all dead, we'd still be with Izzy, and Duncan, and Eva, and everyone else who died because of McLean." Bridgette answered, feeling tears at the back of her eyes.

"Okay, that may be true, but do you really think they'd want you to think like that?" Ron asked. "Their deaths are tragic, there is no disputing that, but they all died for a greater cause. Because of their deaths, you found the strength to stop McLean and I think they would all be proud of you. Do not take their loss for granted Miss Wells and do not think they died in vain. You stopped an evil man because of the strength they gave you. Never forget that."

Bridgette smiled, blinking away her tears. Ron was right, they had given her the strength to defeat McLean, but that didn't exactly fill the hole they left behind. But Bridgette realized nothing would ever truly fill that hole and dwelling on it would do her no good. All she could do was move forward and try her best to remember her fallen friends for the exceptional people they had been.

"So, after I took off after McLean, what happened at the warehouse?" she asked, glancing at Gwen and the Kings.

"We went inside and found those who had been taken." Gwen answered. "Well, actually, Tyler, Justin, Alejandro, and Wyatt went inside. Owen, D.J., and I stayed outside to watch over McLean's soldiers and the Kings and Dr. McLellen went after you."

"Which is why they found me, I assume." Bridgette said, with a grateful nod towards the Kings and Dr. McLellen.

"That is correct." Dr. McLellen answered, returning her nod with one of his own.

"Anyway, the guys went in and found the others." Gwen continued. "And a few minutes later they all came out. That's it, really."

"It was horrible in there." Wyatt said. "We could smell decay and all sorts of other nasty things. I'm not sure what all of it was, but it was bad."

"Yeah, at least you weren't in there for days." Marlowe said, with mock irritation. "And it wasn't as bad as the mansion."

"That's certainly true." said Trent. "That mansion was fucking horrible. I can't believe people actually used to live there."

"I'm sure it was once a very nice place." Nikki said, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, it probably was, but that doesn't change the fact that it's an absolute hell hole now." Trent muttered, rolling his eyes as well.

It was then that Bridgette noticed that she was not the only one who was wrapped in bandaging. Several of the others, primarily those who had been McLean's prisoners, showed signs of having undergone medical procedures as well. Lindsey's right arm was encased in a cast and Courtney was sitting in a wheelchair, both of her legs in casts. But what struck Bridgette most was the bandaging that wrapped Heather's head, concealing her eyes.

"Heather, what happened to your eyes?" Bridgette asked, concerned.

Heather turned her head in Bridgette's direction and smiled before answering. "So, you've finally noticed the bandaging huh?" she asked. "Well, McLean sprayed some sort of chemical in my face as part of my torture and long story short, I'm now blind."

"Oh God, Heather, I am so sorry." Bridgette said, her voice choked with emotion.

"Hey, don't apologize." Heather said. "It's not your fault. And it's not so bad. Like Nikki said, at least we're alive. I'd much rather lose my sight than my life. So don't worry about me, I'll be okay once I've gotten used to this."

Bridgette felt like she should say more, but she couldn't think of anything else to say. It was horrible that Heather had lost her sight because of McLean's desire for revenge and Bridgette felt her blood boil with hatred again, before remembering that McLean was dead and she had already avenged all of the horrible things he had done.

Geoff seemed to notice Bridgette's internal conflict for he moved to comfort her. "Hey, don't worry about it Bridgette." he said. "Heather's right, at least we're all alive. And McLean is dead. So I say we focus on the positive and let the past stay in the past."

Bridgette nodded, appreciating his words. A short time later the others left, leaving Bridgette alone with Geoff. They did not move to make out however, instead choosing to lay in silence as they both contemplated all that had happened to them. At some point Bridgette drifted into sleep, the dreamless abyss taking her into its embrace once again.

* * *

><p>Four days later Bridgette was discharged from the hospital. She returned to her house where she would be cared for by Geoff and Gwen. She was still recovering from her injuries, but there was no need for her to remain at the hospital. The others had all been discharged as well and they were all staying in Fort Columbus for the time being. Bridgette however, was avoiding them as much as possible. She wanted to be alone, to think about all that they had experienced over the last several months. The only person who's company she tolerated was Geoff's, for she felt comforted by his presence. There were still so many things she hadn't dealt with, and yet she somehow felt her burdens ease when Geoff was around her. She still had not told anyone about McLean's cryptic dying message about others like him, but she would, when the time was right. Geoff seemed to sense that she was keeping something from him, but he did not press the issue, sensing that Bridgette would reveal whatever she was hiding when she was ready.<p>

Five days after waking up Bridgette finally decided to tell Geoff about McLean's message. They were sitting in her room, on her bed, Geoff with his arms wrapped around her. She shifted her position so she could look at him and then spoke.

"Geoff, there's something I need to tell you." she said, her voice strained.

"What is it babe?" he asked, his eyes boring into hers.

"McLean, before he died, he told me that he and Shane weren't the only ones." she said. "He said there were others like him, others who would continue to hunt us. He mentioned one man in particular who he seemed to think was a particularly strong threat."

Geoff stared at her a moment, unsure how to respond, and then he smiled. "Bridgette, don't worry about it." he said. "We beat McLean and he was probably just fucking with you. But even if he was telling the truth and there are others like him out there, we'll stop them as well, I promise."

Bridgette wasn't sure if she believed him, but she felt comforted anyway. He was right after all. They had defeated McLean, so they could defeat anyone else who came after them. She slid out of his grasp then and stood up, smiling at him before making her way over to the window. He watched, but said nothing, deciding to allow her some time alone in her mind.

Bridgette stared out the window, her mind racing as she relived all of the events of the past several months. The beginning of college, meeting Shane, Cecily, and Dr. McLellen, McLean's escape, the murders, the kidnappings, finding Nikki alive, her fight with Cecily, nearly losing hope, Duncan's death, her fight with McLean, all of these events played out again in her mind. And as they did she realized something she hadn't thought of before. It had all been a test, just like the events of her senior year of high school. These events had been a test meant to teach her and her friends lessons of life. And as she reflected on them now she knew they had learned those lessons. Lessons about who to trust. Lessons about never taking anything or anyone for granted. Lessons about true friendship and the strength that comes from it. Lessons about never giving up even when it seems like everything is falling apart around you. They had learned them all and they had learned them the hard way. Through pain and suffering and death, they had all learned the most important lessons of all and Bridgette could not help feeling that they were better off for it, despite all they had lost. It was then that she felt Geoff's breath on the back of her neck, making her twitch. She turned to face him, tears glistening in her eyes.

"What are you thinking about babe?" he asked, his voice a whisper.

"Just thinking about all the lessons we learned from this." she replied, wiping the tears away. "You know like how we need to stick together and never give up, despite the darkness within."

"Yeah, I know." he said. "And we won't give up, not now, not ever. We have learned our lessons and we will never forget them."

Bridgette smiled then, glad he agreed with her. It was true, they would never forget and they would never give up. They had experienced horrors beyond imagining, and come out stronger on the other side, but sometimes that's what it takes to learn the lessons of life.

**End.**

**A/N: Well folks, that's it. The end of another fic. I hope you all enjoyed reading this one as much as I enjoyed writing it and I thank you all for your support and your reviews. There are, however, a couple of things I need to clear up before we can move on. First, yes, Bridgette technically did die, twice. Dr. McLellen managed to restart her heart both times though. Also, I know the time jump is a little annoying, as I'm guessing many of you wanted to actually see the kidnapped being rescued, but I felt like this was implied, so I chose not to show it. Also, yes, Heather is now blind. That was a decision I made late in the writing process and I made it to show just how cruel McLean was to his prisoners (as if we didn't already know). Finally, I feel I need to explain Cecily's motivations a bit more. Basically what happened was, McLean brainwashed her into thinking like him and she broke out of his control when she saw Duncan die. That's why she took the bullets meant for Bridgette. So, that's all I've got. Again, thank you all for your reviews. One last note, I currently do not have plans for a sequel to this fic, though that may change. I will post on my profile of it does, so keep checking that for updates.  
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